Goodman stages stellar 'Seagull'

A wise man knows the best way to handle thoroughbreds is to let them run.

Robert Falls is a wise man.

In his superlative Goodman Theatre revival of “The Seagull,” Falls unfetters an all-star cast. The result is one of the most penetrating, satisfying productions of an Anton Chekhov play I've experienced on a Chicago-area stage. Goodman's stripped-down production is one of such clarity, with performances so true, that this “Seagull” sets a standard by which I expect future productions will be judged for some time to come.

It all begins with a translation of the late 19th century comic-tragedy that is fresh, contemporary and wholly accessible. The program lists Falls as adapter and credits George Calderon for the 1909 translation, reportedly the first in English. But a source close to the production says the credit rests almost entirely with Falls.

Credit for the production's success also extends to Todd Rosenthal for his raked set, which resembles a wooden pier. For most of the play, the set remains unembellished save for a ruined urn and bits of broken china covered in sediment minor accents that say a lot about the emotional state of Chekhov's characters.

Then there's the staging. Falls emphasizes improvisation and allows the actors to determine much of their own movement. While the approach grants a degree of spontaneity, this is no free-for-all. Falls' sure hand is evident in the concurrent expression of humor and pathos that animates Chekhov's examination of theater and fame, family and love, the desire to make a meaningful life and the burden of failing to do so.

The drama unfolds at the lakeside home of retired bureaucrat Sorin (Francis Guinan). He shares his home with his nephew Konstantin (the wonderfully frank Stephen Louis Grush), a moody, aspiring playwright determined to push theatrical boundaries.

Konstantin is desperately in love with Nina (Heather Wood), an aspiring actress who doesn't share his contempt for tradition. Nina is infatuated with best-selling author Trigorin (Cliff Chamberlain), ever mindful of his own mediocrity.

Trigorin is the younger lover of Konstantin's celebrated mother Arkadina (the superb Mary Beth Fisher), an aging actress, raging egoist and consummate skinflint.

Meanwhile, the brooding Masha (an unrelentingly unhappy Kelly O'Sullivan), scorns her Medvedenko (the unwaveringly decent Demetrios Troy) and pines for Konstantin. He responds with the same open hostility she reserves for Medvedenko.

Observing these romantic entanglements is family doctor Dorn (Scott Jaeck), an aging ladies man who has recently ended an affair with Polina (Janet Ulrich Brooks). She is unhappily married to Shamrayev (a blustering Steve Pickering), the estate's miserly manager.

Falls' cast delivers maximum horsepower. Grush (a founder of XIII Pocket, a Chicago company dedicated to new works) plays Konstantin with a raw, restless intensity. Fisher tempers Arkadina's melodrama and narcissism with an ever-present desperation that nearly earns her our sympathy. Chamberlain is ideal as the self-absorbed, casually cruel Trigorin. The fresh-faced Wood makes Nina's neediness and naiveté irresistible, making her subsequent transformation all the more heartbreaking.

Guinan's touching, rueful performance as Sorin reveals a man paralyzed not just by a stroke but by a lifetime of inertia. The expressive Brooks perfectly captures Chekhov's humor-pathos duality, while Jaeck's clear-eyed compassion serves as a source of comfort to the play's troubled youth.

For much of the performance, actors not involved in a scene observe it from upstage benches. Some may find this distracting. It isn't. The production is so engrossing, you forget they're there. But inasmuch as “The Seagull” is about theater contrasting a young artist's efforts to break new ground and the reluctance of the old guard to deviate from tradition it makes sense that its practitioners and champions observe the battle.

That it plays out at one of the county's premier theaters, which Falls has helmed for more than 20 years, is also significant. He has been on both sides of the debate between the cutting-edge and the classic, enduring criticism from each faction.

Clearly, he's doing something right.

“The Seagull”

<p><B>Location:</B> Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org</p>

<p><B>Showtimes:</B> 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday through Nov. 14. No 7:30 p.m. show Nov. 7</p>

<p><B>Running time:</B> About three hours with intermission</p>

<p><B>Tickets:</B> $20 to $45</p>

<p><B>Parking:</B> $19 parking at the Government Center Self Park at Clark and Lake streets</p>

<p><B>Rating:</B> For teens and older</p>