Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1975) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The actress Blythe Danner is Gwyneth Paltrow's mother, and some of us think she could have been just as big a star. Here is one of her very best performances in this PBS version from the 1970's of Anton Chekhov's classic play, "The Seagull." She plays Nina, a country girl who falls in love with the dissolute novelist Trigorin (Kevin McCarthy). She is the very incarnation of innocence and happiness in the first three acts. She uses that throaty voice, enormous eyes and piercing sweetness to make us care deeply about the character. Then in act four she transforms herself into Trigorin's destroyed victim and the result is heartwrenching. A great performance by a sadly neglected great actress. This video is part of the "Broadway Theatre Archive", a collection of plays taped for PBS as part of their "Theatre in America" series. Every drams buff should seek them out.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1975)

This quintessential Chekhov drama--his first success--is both comic and tragic. A group of friends and relations gather at a country estate to see the first performance of an experimental play written and staged by the young man of the house, Konstantin (Frank Langella), an aspiring writer who dreams of bringing new forms to the theatre. Among the audience are Konstantin's self-centered mother, the actress Arkadina, and her lover, the novelist Trigorin. Their glamorous presence not only disrupts the performance, but also soon takes on a more profound significance for the lives of all those present.

Click here for more information about Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1975)

The Good Doctor (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1978) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The cream of the Broadway Theatre Archive, this production has it all--the stories of Anton Chekhov, Neil Simon to mold the stories into exquisitely timed and hilarious theatre, and a cast that is hard to duplicate. Starring Marsha Mason, who plays everything from a maid to a lady of the night; Ed Asner who is a terrific, blustering general; and Lee Grant, who ranges from a wily and assertive employer to a wild woman with a "nervous disorder," the production also includes Bob Dishy, who has an elastic face and expressive eyes, starring in "The Sneeze" and "The Seduction," and Gary Dontzig as the "Drowned Man" and a 19-year-old son about to be introduced to sex for the first time.
The seven Chekhov stories which become one-act plays here are filled with dry humor, surprise endings, and clever common people in confrontations with "superiors" which end in absurdity. "The Sneezer" cannot apologize enough to the general who is his boss at work, then believes that he himself has been humiliated. In "The Governess," an employer (Grant) tricks a subservient governess (Mason) out of 80% of her pay. "The Seduction" shows a man-about-town (Chamberlain) using a husband as the conduit for his seduction of the man's wife, a story with a twist at the end. "The Drowned Man" (Dontzig) claims to be in the "maritime entertainment business" and will "drown" for a small fee. "The Defenseless Creature" gives Grant her star turn, and she is hilarious as the clever wife who wants money from a banker (Chamberlain), threatening him with a curse if he refuses. In "The Arrangement" a father takes his shy, 19-year-old son to a house of ill repute, then realizes that the son will no longer be a boy.
The most stunning episode is "The Audition," and anyone interested in acting would do well to study Marsha Mason, who is magnificent here. Playing the parts of all three sisters from the conclusion of Chekhov's The Three Sisters, she is sensitive, bursts into tears on cue, then becomes rational and straightforward. As Mason convincingly plays the three different roles, one witnesses a truly great acting moment. Each of the scenes is beautifully produced and sensitively acted, and the viewer comes away from the production awed by Chekhov's writing, Simon's dramatic sense, and the ensemble cast's incredible talent. Mary Whipple


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Good Doctor (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1978)

Anton Chekhov's early short stories, which so eloquently capture the comic and serious sides of the 19th century Russian Bourgeoisie, were the source and inspiration for this hit by Neil Simon--one of the most prolific and beloved playwrights of all time. Simon's tribute to Chekhov resonates with great feeling and warm humor. Richard Chamberlain as The Writer, who ties everything together, glides through the production in a variety of guises, opening with "The Sneeze" and progressing to "The Governess." He is joined by an all-star team of farceurs including Ed Asner, Bob Dishy, Lee Grant, and Marsha Mason. "Studded with the kind of names that make hearts palpitate... an elaborate conceit by Neil Simon." --The New York Times

Get 80% OFF

Click here for more information about The Good Doctor (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1978)