Australian TV Plays: The Seagull (22 April 1959)

More Chekhov. This one done in Sydney from Royston Morley who adapted and directed.

Because Australian writers were not good enough!

I'm sure this was fine. Great lead role for the grande dame Thelma Scott who I interviewed once. This went for 75 minutes. It was Prestige.

Plot

In 1895 a vain and selfish actress, Irina, clashes with her son Konstantin who wants to be a writer. Her lover is Trigorin.

Irinia lives at the estate of her brother Sorin.

Cast

Thelma Scott as Irina Arkadina
William Job as Konstantin
Roderick Walker as Trigorin
Delia Williams as Nina, Konstantin's love
Gordon Glenwright as Sorin, Irinia's brother
Walter Pym as Ilya, Sorin's steward
Anne Bullen as Polina
Henry Gilbert as Yevgeny Dorn, a doctor
Frank Taylor as Semyon, a school master
Rilla Stephens as Masha the steward's daughter

Original play

The play was first performed in 1896. It was a failure when originally presented in St Petersberg but was revived two years later by the Moscow Arts Theatre and was a notable success.

A lot is written about this play. It's one of those plays that get put on all the time whether audiences like it or not.

Other adaptation

The BBC filmed it in 1950. ITV filmed it in 1956.

Production

The show was recorded live in Sydney.

Roderick Walker was an English actor.

Rilla Stephens was a New Zealand actor who had recently settled in Sydney.

It was the first TV appearance for Walker, William Job and Thelma Scott.

Job and Scott recently returned home after time overseas. William Job was originally from Adelaide; after making a success in Hamlet, an Adelaide newspaper raised a subscription for him to go to England; he spent two years there and four years in Canada, before going to Sydney four weeks before the production. Scott had just spent 15 months in England.

William Job went on to appear in Hamlet for Royston Morley.