The Myth of a Failure of the First Staging Chekhov’s “The Seagull”

Abstract

The idea of the “failure” of the first production of A.P. Chekhov’s “The Seagull” at the Alexandrinsky Theater is far from certain. After the relative failure of the premiere performance, painfully perceived by Chekhov himself, but, incidentally, marked by the wonderful performance of Vera Komissarzhevskaya, the first production of the play had an ordinary and even quite prosperous fate: four more performances, marked by good preparation and increasing theatrical success. As such the idea of a complete “failure” of the first production of “The Seagull” was partly man-made and came not least from the founders, followers and historians of the Moscow Art Theater, for whom it was important to emphasize its role in the creation of the new Russian theater (at the same time diminishing the role of Chekhov himself in it).