In 2015, the director Àlex Rigola achieved one of his most applauded works by staging Marits i mullers [Husbands and Wives] at the Villarroel, a stage adaptation of Woody Allen's script for the film of the same name. Now he is back at the same theatre with a play by one of the playwrights he has turned to most during his career: Anton Chekhov. He is offering a newly created, free adaptation of one of the author's best known plays, The Seagull. In this adaptation, Rigola uses the languages he has experimented with in previous plays, such as Aquest país no descobert que no deixa tornar de les seves fronteres cap dels seus viatgers [The country that doesn't let any travellers cross back across its frontiers]. And once again, he combines the plot of the play with the personal reflections and experiences of the director, three actresses and one actor, who speak about dissatisfaction, unrequited love, loneliness and the fear of getting old, all combined with the humour and nostalgia to be found in Chekhov's work. Rigola has used the experiences of his actors, who also speak about their work on stage and that of their colleagues, in order to adapt the play and put it into the first person.
This is the director's third adaptation of Chekhov, after Ivanov and Uncle Vanya (Grec 2018). Àlex Rigola is a director, playwright and producer who has directed the Teatre Lliure, the theatre section of the Venice Biennale and the Teatros del Canal in Madrid. He is one of the most outstanding celebrities and the most internationally renowned figure in modern Catalan theatre. For this adaptation he has surrounded himself with an outstanding cast who bare their souls on stage. They include dramatist, director and performer Jordi Oriol, and an actress with an extensive career Chantal Aimée, as well as actress Roser Vilajosana and actor Xavi Sáez, and the young actress Melissa Salvatierra, an up-and-coming talent.
A Titus Andrònic and Heartbreak Hotel production.
Coproduced by Grec 2020 Festival de Barcelona and Temporada Alta 2020.
Supported by Departament de Cultura Generalitat de Catalunya.
Author: A free adaptation of Anton Chekhov's play Playwright and director: Àlex Rigola Performed by: Chantal Aimée, Jordi Oriol, Xavi Sáez, Melisa Salvatierra, Roser Vilajosana Assistant director: Alba Pujol Theatre head technician: Jaume Feixa Executive producer: Irene Vicente Communication (company): Cosmica (Anna Aurich) Press (La Villarroel): Albert López Marketing and communication: Publispec
