A few weekends ago I visited my sister in London, and we secured tickets to see the new adaptation of Anton Chekov’s The Seagull. My sister first came upon the play when she saw promo images while traveling on the Tube, when she recognized Emilia Clarke was starring in the new adaptation. Knowing I love Emilia Clarke and her work, my sister told me about it, and we quickly bought tickets to see the play.

While I had never read this particular work by Chekov, I have read some of his other works, including his famous short story, “The Lady with the Dog.” I was just so excited to see Emilia Clarke act in person.

The play started at 7:30 p.m., and when we entered, we were surprised to see how intimate of a theater the space was. My sister and I have been to other plays in London before, and those plays were in large theaters, most likely because they tend to draw tourists. This theater, the Harold Pinter Theatre, has two levels, and we sat on the second, just a few rows from the front. The smallness of the theater, though, meant every seat provided a close enough view of the stage.

© Dan Brennan | Dreamstime.com

The play was so well done. With no props, scenery or costumes (or even shoes), the play focused solely on the development (and breakdown) of the relationships portrayed. We could see each emotion on every actor’s face, and the absence of any props allowed us to delve deeper into the raw nature of each character. After fan-girling for a few minutes upon spotting Emilia Clarke, I settled in and found myself captivated by the plot and the progression of the different relationships.

Despite the London weather turning the theater into a warmer-than-normal space, my sister and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening, not only because I got to see one of my celebrity idols in person, but also because I got to spend time with my sister in one of my favorite cities.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor