Anton Chekhov created The Seagull a bit over 100 years ago. Playwright/actor Claudio Raygoza moved ahead a few years (1910 and 1914) and places the action of his La Gaviota ("Grey Gull") in the state of Veracruz, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The result is a riveting, personal look at Chekhov's classic characters in a new setting. Raygoza is faithful in storyline, the relationships, and the passions of the characters. There have been only minor plot changes which work well with this adaptation and the period.
Director Glenn Paris has assembled an excellent cast, and Ion's scenic designers consistently give their audiences unique and interesting sets. Here, it's the flavor of an arid seashore hacienda. The patio has been abused by years of wind and sand and is in need of paint. The colors still have some of the luster of years past. It feels ready to move into.
It is here we meet French Medic, Simon Michel (Matt Scott), who is about to be caught up in the revolution. He is with the foreman's daughter, Aminda 'Michi' Garcia (Estrella Esparza-Johnson). They find that they have much in common, including each other.
Hacienda Murrietta owner Pedro Guillemo Morado (Bernard Baldan) is hosting a number of guests. Among them are his sister Irene Isabel Morando y Aguilar (Linda Castro), a famous actress, and her son, Nicolas "Nico" Manuel Aguilar (Steven Lone), currently experimenting with that new invention, motion picture films. The mother-son relationship ramps back and forth from disdain to raging anger to expressions of love. Pedro and Irene's mother, Delfina Esther Morado (Trina Kaplan), is the matriarch of the hacienda.
Pedro has a few retainers. Besides Michi, her father and hacienda foreman Juan Carlos Garcia (John Garcia) and his housekeeper-wife Paula Elena Garcia (Catalina Maynard) play pivotal roles in the story. El Yaqui (Matthew Evanoff), a native, is one of the farm's laborers.
Another welcome visitor is Sergio Manuel Diaz (John Padilla), a country doctor. Alejandro Gabriel Romero (Claudio Raygoza), a celebrated novelist, is a both a guest of Irene and her lover. Neighbor girl and aspiring actress is Nina Andrea Zaragoza (Sara Beth Morgan) who becomes involved with Nico but falls in love with another.
La Gaviota, as with The Seagull, explores the relationships of many couples as well as the familial relationships within the Morado-Aguilar family as well as the Garcias. Director Paris and his cast have brought passion to Raygoza's play. The adaption feels quite natural.
The playwright followed the original four-act structure. Possibly due to a faithful interpretation of the original, the play runs just under three hours and could benefit from shortening. Yet, it flows well, giving us serious impressions of the characters. They were well interpreted.
Highlights are Nina's return after four years (she's a different woman with a very sad tale), an excellent scene between Morgan and Lone; Lone and Castro in an explosive scene, and Morgan and Raygoza creating passionate plot complications.
