The Sea Gull

When Ira Gershwin wrote about "more clouds of gray than any Russian play could guarantee," he must have been thinking about THE SEA GULL. This is a good version of Chekhov's "Chayka" and stays true to the play, even pausing after each act for a long fade to black. It's Russia in the late 1800s, and Signoret, a well-known actress, is paying a visit to the huge estate where Andrews, her brother, has retired after years of public service. Warner, her grown son, is a sensitive youth who yearns to write and lives with Andrews, caring for him in his waning days. Signoret pays little attention to Warner and would prefer people didn't even know she had a child of that age....