The Seagull: Malibu - Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

⟵ This production is part of our Past Seasons archive

The Seagull: Malibu
Retold by Ellen Geer from The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

Ran July 12 – October 5, 2025 at our outdoor amphitheater

Synopsis:
In this evocative retelling of Anton Chekhov’s timeless masterpiece The Seagull, Artistic Director Ellen Geer transports audiences to the sun-soaked yet tumultuous shores of 1970s Malibu, California. Set against the backdrop of a country transitioning from the ideals of the free-love era to the self-centered “Me Generation,” the story follows Constantine, a young writer concerned about global warming, which is spurned as a fantasy by those around him. He tries to reach his family. His thoughts and writing are buried by egos and turmoil of the times. With the crashing waves of Malibu as both a literal and metaphorical backdrop, Chekhov’s exploration of human fragility, ambition, and the search for love and meaning reminds audiences of the fragile threads that unite us all.

A Theatricum Past Production

What Critics Are Saying About "The Seagull: Malibu"

GLAMOROUS MIND BLOWING HILARIOUS DAZZLING SEXY VERVE & COMIC FLAIR

"Ellen Geer updates Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull from 1890s tsarist Russia to Malibu, California during the “It’s All About Me” 1970s, and the exhilarating result is The Seagull: Malibu, a romantic dramedy that’s both Chekhovian and Southern Californian, and a Summer Of 2025 treat no matter how you feel about Chekhov."

"Tantalizing twists and turns… well-acted, well-directed… this rendering of Chekhov’s classic deserves to be on theatergoers’ checklist of plays to experience this summer. Check it out!”

“While the characters twist themselves up in a complex geometry of love, they explore the many facets of being an artist: Can an artist have happiness and success? Is the compulsion to create a blessing or a curse? If an artist’s love is art, what becomes of those that love the artist? ‘The Seagull: Malibu’ under the night sky in Topanga is a good place to find out.”