Los Angeles Times - Recommended
"...But it's the fresh take on characters - Joanna Strapp's pungent Másha, coarsened by her unrequited love for Tréplev, is particularly revitalizing - that makes this production as absorbing as it is. Humanity is the puzzle that is never solved, and the longer I spent with these incarnations of Tréplev, Trigórin and Nína, the more fascinated I became by their mystery."
LA Weekly - Recommended
"...In this double-cast Antaeus Company production, shrewd director Andrew J. Traister strikes Chekhovian gold with one cast and makes less layered choices with the other."
Backstage - Recommended
"...Antaeus Company's account of "The Seagull" (written in 1895), in a translation by Paul Schmidt, is incisively interpreted by director Andrew J. Traister and an accomplished ensemble in a stylish production brimming with intelligence and resonance."
LAist - Not Recommended
"...Anton Chekhov famously contended that his plays were meant to be comedies, albeit perhaps with a tinge of melancholy in their makeup. Regardless of this authorial intent, productions of his work over the last century have tended toward the languorous and dour. The Antaeus Company, one of the finest and most knowledgeable theatre troupes in town, has unfortunately taken this path with their new presentation of The Seagull. Antaeus always double-casts its shows, so my review is of the "Samovars" cast only."
Stage and Cinema - Not Recommended
"...While Paul Schmidt's translation is funnier and less stodgy than previous adaptations, director Andrew J. Traister's leadership is so bereft of vision and risk-taking that the entire evening just sits there like the titular bird, recently stuffed by a taxidermist."
Stage Scene LA - Recommended
"...I'll admit it. When I hear the name Chekhov, the first words that pop into my head are dull, somber, and talky. That's why it's such a pleasure to report that the Antaeus Company's revival of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull not only held my attention virtually throughout, it actually had me laughing more times than I could count."
StageHappenings.com - Recommended
"...Whatever night you choose to see this fine production will leave you wanting more as the casts are now in a "mix-n-match" mode. Seeing the show two nights in a row, with 99% different casts, assured this viewer that this is a capital way to see Chekhov."
Examiner - Recommended
"...Under Andrew Traister's subtle direction, however, this play in which nothing much seems to happen is endlessly fascinating. Packed with emotional undercurrents and ravishing conversation, The Seagull is as relevant now as it was in 1895, when it was written."
Buzzine - Recommended
"...Overall, this is a show well worth your time."
CurtainUp - Recommended
"...This marvelous 2nd-opening line for Anton Chekhov's The Seagull is one of the theater's best and sets the tone for the production now done superbly by the Antaeus Company."
BlogCritics.org - Recommended
"...Antaeus, the remarkable classical theatre company located in North Hollywood, has done it again. The company has been able to produce a first- rate production of the play using their trademark double casting."
LA Stage Times - Recommended
"...But the translation by Paul Schmidt is thoroughly clear and sharp for contemporary audiences without sounding trendy, and the staging by Andrew J. Traister hits most of the comedy and the melancholy simultaneously – which is ideal for Chekhov."
Frontiers - Recommended
"...Chekhov's masterpieces are notoriously difficult to pull off, and this latest gem from Antaeus is cause for celebration."
Culture Spot LA - Recommended
"...My recommendation is to go see this for the actors, for a fine bunch they are."
Grigware Blogspot - Recommended
"...Known for mounting classic theatre with a professionalism like no other in Los Angeles, the Antaeus Company once again proves its integrity and much appreciated artistry in their newest production of The Seagull currently on stage in NoHo through April 15."
Huffington Post - Recommended
"...In a memorable production of Chekhov's The Seagull, presented by the Antaeus Company, a marvelous ensemble of classical actors based in LA, director Andrew J. Traister captures the brilliance and realism of Chekhov's rendition of the plight of humanity."
Working Authur - Recommended
"...If you've never experienced Chekhov on stage, you could find no better introduction to one of the theater's greatest voices than this production, for Traister and Schmidt have not placed on stage a museum piece, but a great drama full of immediacy and relevancy for any audience."
Opera Theater Ink - Somewhat Recommended
"...It wasn't until Bo Foxworth uttered his first lines that I figured out what was lacking. The actors were laboriously acting. The result was loud, sometimes high-pitched voices, and forced, often overdone characterizations. The consequence was that the play didn't have the grace, elegance and style which Chekhov so nobly deserves."
