★ ★ ★ ★
For an opening-night crowd in a small independent theatre, The Seagull‘s pecking at the established order proved hugely entertaining. Across the traverse you could see delightedly scandalised faces registering each “you can’t say that!” jab
Jason Blake, Limelight
★ ★ ★ ★ It’s not every production that earns a round of applause barely 15 minutes in, but Lusty-Cavallari’s The Seagull hits a sweet spot for Sydney theatregoers. It balances levity and depth with impressive ease — a remarkable achievement. Cultural Binge
★ ★ ★ ★ This is not the Seagull you did in drama school. It is sharper, stranger, funnier, and much more urgent. At its best, the production feels like a plea for the future of Australian theatre: generous, self-aware, deeply local, and brimming with possibility. The Scoop
The entire cast, led by Deborah Jones, acquit themselves brilliantly in this excellent version of the 1896 play, just as Anton Chekhov would have wanted it. Bravo, Saro Lusty-Cavallari! Stage Whispers
It’s a defining moment in history. Like the Russian Revolution or the world wars. Great plays will be written about this; mark my words.
And you think they’ll be about the upper middle class reading novels in a North Coast holiday house?
Maybe as a satire?
As the first lockdown of March 2020 hits Australia, Irene Nicholson, a beloved icon of the Australian stage, takes her son and new boyfriend to her family’s property along the Bellingen river. But as beautiful as their own quarantine appears on the outside it soon devolves into a crushing routine of bad postmodern backyard theatre, love triangles and the usual middle class malaise. As tensions mount within their little bubble; Irene’s family, her profession and the country will be changed forever.
Celebrating KXT’s 10-Year Anniversary, Montague Basement returns with a poignant and hilarious new adaptation of Chekhov’s most beloved play, written by Saro Lusty-Cavallari. Set against the backdrop of the recent Covid years, this bold reimagination is an urgent reflection on Australian theatre, and a rallying cry for its future.
Director Saro Lusty-Cavallari
with Talia Benatar, Kath Gordon, Jason Jefferies, Deborah Jones, Saro Lepejian, Tim McGarry, Brendan Miles, Shan-Ree Tan, Alexandra Travers
presented by Montague Basement
Writer and Director Saro Lusty-Cavallari; Set and Costume Designer Kate Beere; Lighting and Video Designer Aron Murray; Stage Manager Jemima Owen; Intimacy Consultant Madelaine Osborn; Producer and Dramaturg Bridget Haberecht; Associate Producer Jason Jefferies