The Roundtable Ensemble

A Village Voice Pick.

Off-Off Online Pick of the Week.

A New York Magazine Off-Off Broadway Pick.

The Roundtable Ensemble's adaptation sparkles with sincerity, and its cast so expertly resuscitates the tortured soul of the czarist bourgeoisie that the audience has to wonder: maudlin Muscovites circa 1895 or angsty New Yorkers circa now?
          - Danial Adkison, The Village Voice

The cast Barakiva has assembled is wonderful, playing both the comedy and the pathos of the situation without resorting to either slapstick or bathos. . . . Barakiva's adaptation and his direction polish the sharp edges of Chekhov's comedic sensibility, presenting a play that cuts you to the quick even as you laugh.
          - Jennifer Ernst, Off-Off Online

Production values are first-rate. Oana Botez-Ban has assembled a credible collection of period costumes . . . and Mimi Lien's rustic set, well lit by Nick Francone, smartly evokes the estate's various locales. . . . [The Seagull is a] compelling overview of the Chekhovian landscape of the soul.
          - Ron Cohen, Back Stage

The Seagull was a rollicking good time. . . . Proffering bits of the absurdism of Samuel Beckett while remaining true to the realistic overtures of Chekhov, The Seagull presented here has nothing better to do than soar.
          - Lindsey Wilson, Talkin' Broadway

New York City's Roundtable Ensemble has contemporized Chekhov's play with a radiantly effervescent new staging that is both attuned to modern sensibilities (and attention spans) and scrupulously faithful to the original. Working from director Michael Barakiva's seamlessly streamlined adaptation, this Seagull soars. . . . This is top-drawer theater from start to finish.
          - Brook Stowe, Theater2k

This Seagull is well cast, well acted and simply enthralling. . . . Barakiva's streamlined version is a refreshing spin written for today's audiences, infused with wit and humanity, while retaining the original's framework, psychological depths and pathos . . . rarely has an entire cast of actors play with such passion, self-assurance and authenticity as this troupe has done with this reworked classic. . . . It's not often a small production house is able to carve a diamond out of such tough material, but this dazzling presentation of Chekhov's classic is a real find.
          - Kerrie Smith, Theaterscene

Suicide, unwed pregnancy, shattered dreams, unrequited love -- pretty funny stuff, eh? Believe it or not, The Roundtable Ensemble and director Michael Barakiva's latest adaptation of Chekhov's grim The Seagull handles those very themes and makes us laugh while doing it. . . . This production is a lovely adaptation of a challenging work. Catch it while you can.
          - Jessica Cogan, New York Cool

[An] entertaining rendition of The Seagull . . . arresting and interesting . . . strong and compelling . . . The Roundtable Ensemble partner with a variety of organizations to provide subsidized or free tickets to their shows to people who don't ordinarily get to see theatre — this is certainly a terrific work with which to make such an introduction.
          - Martin Denton, The New York Theatre Experience

It is a rare thing to see a group of actors bring a play to the stage with such confidence, passion, and wisdom as the actors of The Roundtable Ensemble have done with The Seagull. . . . it is brilliant and riveting . . . a lovely piece of theater.
          - Amy Somensky, Monsters and Critics

With the help of an almost fairytale set by Mimi Lien, [adaptor/director Michael Barakiva] turns Chekhov's tender tragedy into a light comedy with a somber ending. . . . It is quite possible that Chekhov himself might have totally appreciated an interpreter who concentrates on the glow and not the gloom in his writing.
          - Paulanne Simmons, New York Theatre Wire

Roundtable Ensemble's production of Chekhov's classic The Seagull . . . is vibrant and passionate, and clearly aimed for the youth who still feel the pangs of that first love, the confusing passion that makes everything else seem trivial. For the young and the young at heart, this Seagull is poignant and fiendishly funny, and a reminder of the havoc that can be wreaked in the name of love.
          - Jena Tesse Fox, BroadwayWorld

The Roundtable Ensemble's production of The Seagull is . . . vivid, happily drawn, doting on its influence, and pretty . . . the show has a lot of good physical elements and plays laughs wherever it can. It successfully surprises the audience at many points. Who knew you could do slapstick in Chekhov? [The actors] make the words seem like they're being read for the first time.
          - Kaya J. Chwals, OffBroadway.com

Read Artistic Director Kelly Moore's interview with nytheatre voices here.