The Seagull at the Oxford Playhouse

Headlong Theatre (whose acclaimed artistic director is Rupert Goold) are a company that tries to make exciting new work and "radical reinvigorations" of old classics. Anton Chekhov's The Seagull certainly fits the latter category. Not only do we have a modern setting, but a new modern language version by John Donnelly that works superbly well.The director Blanche McIntyre has used a minimalist set to great advantage, and has coaxed some superb performances from the actors. The casting director has actually done a brilliant job.

The production is sharp, dynamic and fierce. I guess everything Chekhov would have wanted. The dialogue crackles and spits as it embraces the themes of small town/country claustrophobia, generational tension and the culture of theatre. The combination of writer and director have made for a superb take on a familiar story.

The top acting credits go to Alexander Cobb, a youthful and tormented Konstantin, and Abigail Cruttenden as his overbearing mother, the famous actress Irina Arkadina. But I guess the revelation of the evening was the performance of Pearl Chanda in her theatrical debut as Nina, having only graduated from RADA this year. Someone to look out for in the future.