Chekhov gets a local workover

DIE SEEMEEU. Directed by Christiaan Olwagen, with Sandra Prinsloo, Marius Weyers, Gerben Kamper, Alyzzander Fourie, Deon Lotz, Rolanda Marais, Martelize Kolver, Albert Pretorius, Geon Nel and Cintaine Schutte. At the Baxter Theatre, from Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm until October 31. STEYN DU TOIT reviews.

Mother Russia and ‘die taal’ sit down together for koeksusters and vodka under the gaze of Christiaan Olwagen in Die Seemeeu(The Seagull).

Adapted and translated into Afrikaans by Saartjie Botha from the Anton Chekhov classic, throw in an iconic ensemble, a Brakpan-meets-Wes Anderson design palette, socks and sandals, as well as a reference to a totally radical 1980s John Cusack movie, and I promise you you’ll still have no idea what’s about to hit you when sitting down for one of the most exciting theatre events Cape Town has seen in recent years.

While the plays of, say, William Shakespeare are celebrated for their ability to adapt into a seemingly infinite amount of different settings, Chekhov’s work tends to be a bit more specific to their respective milieus. However, when navigated successfully across language and culture – as is the case with this production – they can become weapons of intense cultural stimulation.

There are several reasons why Botha’s script impressively manages to hit every single sweet spot over the production’s two-hour run, but her distillation of Chekhov’s humour is without doubt at the top of the list. Whipping up a perfect blend of straight talk, small talk and cringe talk, her Orkney Snork Nie-inspired family are each caught up in their own colourful little self-contained worlds.

Either too self-aware or completely oblivious of the roles life has assigned each of them, Botha’s text allows us to briefly hover over this family and their existential mix of profound, cliched and imagined troubles. Our work is made easier by Olwagen’s design and presentation of the action via a series of interlocking scenes.

Presented with English subtitles and amplified by a first-rate technical team that includes Charl-Johan Lingenfelder (soundtrack), Birrie le Roux (costumes) and Wolf Britz (lighting), the result is an evening where theatre, cinema and pop culture combine into one gloriously kitsch mix of real life.

While one does not need to be familiar with The Seagull’s plot and/or themes in order to enjoy Die Seemeeu, a quick plot scan via Wikipedia beforehand is recommended for those who don’t yet know their Konstantins from their Pjotrs. Revolving around the trials and tribulations of several of the members of this extended family, part of this staging’s allure lies in how it is both accessible to Chekhov first-timers, as well as fanboys.

The recipient of this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Theatre, watching Olwagen transform each new school hall or makeshift venue into his conceptual playground has made his name a must for me when attempting to conquer any local arts festival programme in recent years.

When considering Die Seemeeu along with his other plays – Dogma, Son.Maan.Sterre and Wie’s Bang vir Virginia Woolf? to name a few – there emerges an interesting pattern. Not simply interested in adding as many classics to his CV as possible, Olwagen’s motivation always appears to stem from a place of curiosity and of reverence for those that have come before him.

Apart from the obvious enjoyment of watching the end result of his rehearsal process with both young actors, as well as performers nearly three times his age, Olwagen’s ability to isolate and to consider a multitude of issues within each of his directorial brush strokes is staggering. He is a young theatre-maker that clearly reads wide, watches interesting films and continues to commune with older peers that have inspired him.

To be able to assemble a cast of this size and stature in today’s theatre climate is already an accomplishment, but to then have each bloom to full potential without becoming bigger than the overall production, makes one feel galvanised for the industry’s future.

Highlighting standout performances in an already excellent ensemble just doesn’t feel fair. No matter how many times one sees them in action, for instance, you simply cannot wrap your head around what a privilege it is to experience iconic individuals such as Sandra Prinsloo, Marius Weyers, Gerben Kamper and Deon Lotz on local soil so often.

The same can be said of the young guns. Albert Pretorius and Rolanda Marais are, frankly, two of the actors of their generation. Cintaine Schutte falls into this category too, and her glorious emo-goth Masha here is as striking as her roles in Nagwond, Meerfout and Moeder Moed en Haar Kinder s.

Two performers who don’t nearly get all the credit they deserve are Martelize Kolver and Geon Nel. Following a solid recent performance in both the stage and film versions of Balbesit(also written by Saartjie Botha), Nel brings an enthusiasm and ‘Russianness’ to his Semyon Semyonovich Medvedenko difficult to explain until you see him in all his sexy rugby shorts, baby-oiled glory.

I’ve lost count over the years of the amount of times Kolver nearly made me almost pee my pants with the outlandish characters she conjures up from behind that piercing pair of eyes of hers. The part of Polina Andryevna fits her like a glove, and she wears her character’s suffering with the dramatics and resolve those of us with Afrikaans mothers only recognise too well.

A play that speaks equally hard through its actions and subtle gestures as it does via the animated nature of its characters, Die Seemeeu is world-class production that deserves to be seen at full capacity before it spreads its wings this Saturday. Go twice.

l Tickets: R60 to R150. To book: 0861 915 8000, or see www.com puticket.com