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Theatre

The Seagull needs a roof to stop Chekhov's subtleties flying off

Plus: a 40-year-old play that will appeal to anyone whose parents spent the 1960s feuding and the 1970s decoupling

4 July 2015

9:00 AM

4 July 2015

9:00 AM

The Seagull

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, until 11 July

Alpha Beta

Finborough Theatre, until 19 July

A new Seagull lands in Regent’s Park. Director Matthew Dunster has lured Chekhov’s classic into a leafy corner of north London to see if it needs an upgrade. The new script, by yuppie-baiting playwright Torben Betts, is casual, slangy and sometimes gauche. Favourite moments have been struck out including the great opening line, ‘Why do you always wear black?’ And Betts decides to make Chekhov’s characters swear.

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