‘Sea Gull’ Soars on Restoration of Censored Text

Even Chekhov veterans have some surprises in store for them in a superb staging of “The Sea Gull” at the Hollywood Court Theatre, thanks to a fresh translation by director Milena Albert featuring dialogue never before included in an English version.

Originally removed to obtain censor approval before the play’s first production in 1896, the restored text touches primarily on economic and moral issues in turn-of-the-century Russia. Don’t expect blockbuster new scenes--rather, the new passages are threaded throughout the familiar structure of the play.

The revelations include commentary on the poverty and incompetence of schoolteachers embodied in the buffoonish Medvedenko (Taylor Sutherland), sexual desperation in the overtures of an unhappily married servant Polina (Tara Pomposini, filling in for Martha Thompson) toward Dorn (Ben Feuer), the local doctor, and a failed attempt at writing novels by the enfeebled landowner Sorin (Rod Roeser).

Closer to the central drama, in a restored second-act exchange, Nina (Fran-Serene Spero) mockingly recites the same excerpt from Treplev’s play that she delivers with such poignancy at the play’s conclusion. Through repetition, the passage becomes a yardstick of her maturity and underscores Chekhov’s tragic observation that these characters must embrace either mediocrity or destruction.

While Treplev’s narcissistic actress-mother Arkadina (Stephanie Nash) and her hack novelist lover Trigorin (Gildart Jackson) may be mediocrity personified, they still possess an eloquent self-awareness rendered with sympathetic nuances in striking performances. Unfortunately, Kent Burnham’s Treplev is forced and strident--the production’s only weak link, but a pivotal one.

Albert, a native Russian, weaves invigorating authenticity throughout her staging. The Chekhovian soul is apparent from the opening declaration by Masha (Allison Sie, alternating with Ellen Marie Andrews) that she wears black because she’s in mourning for her life--delivered not with typical gloom but with an ironic smile.

BE THERE

“The Sea Gull,” Hollywood Court Theatre, Hollywood Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Ave. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Feb. 15. $15-$18. (888) 566-8499. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.