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A Man For All Seasons: Seagull True Story - Marylebone Theatre

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It's not often that you see a play that tells you not so much a story but gives you a sense of how it feels to be in a situation, how it feels to be silenced, how it feels to be marginalised, how the dead hand of consensus stifles your creativity. However, in Seagull True Story, created and directed by Alexander Molochnikov and based on his own experiences fleeing Russia and trying to establish himself in New York, we have a chance to look beyond the headlines and understand how the war in Ukraine impacted a a group of ordinary creatives in Russia. And how the gradual smothering of freedom and freedom of expression becomes impossible to resist, except for the brave or the suicidal. Against the backdrop of Chekhov's The Seagull, which explores love and other forms of disappointment, it presents a gripping and enthralling depiction of freedom of expression in the face of adversity. After playing earlier this year in New York, it plays a limited run at the Marylebone Theatre . Fro...

Bump in the night: Botallack O'Clock @ORLTheatre


Botallack O'Clock brings to life the creative struggles of Roger Hilton in a funny and dreamy production. Insomnia has never seemed so inspiring and lonely as the dead of night comes to life.

Towards the end of Hilton's life he turned to producing works using poster paint on paper. He worked mostly throughout the night on these works, along with writing letters to his wife and various other musings. This piece brings together these items to explore his struggles and his demons.






The title of the show comes from a poem by W.S. Graham, "Lines on Roger Hilton's Watch" and refers to the dead of night.

We are introduced to Roger lying on his bed. There is a bottle of whisky nearby and pots of paint, discarded paper and other rubbish is strewn about the floor. Magically the radio suddenly comes to life and is offering Roger the chance to be on Desert Island Discs.

As Roger, Dan Frost cuts a lanky and awkward man fumbling around in the darkness moving from painting to musings about pickles. It is an intriguing performance as he moves about the space that is his tiny room. One moment he is talking about music and the next he is talking about his experiences as a young man in France. And George Haynes as the man on the radio proves an equally entertaining foil.

Written and directed by Eddie Elks, you feel as if you get a real sense of Roger and his struggles as art, women and past experiences collide. Adding to the atmosphere is the evocative lighting by Christopher Nairne and set design by Ken McClymont.

Botallack O'Clock runs at the Old Red Lion Theatre through to 6 February.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Photo credit: Production images by Zanna Wharfe





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