SEAGULL: TRUE STORY
LuEsther Hall, the Public Theater
425 Lafayette St. at Astor Pl.
Tuesday – Sunday through May 3, $109
publictheater.org

In Seagull: True Story, Eli Rarey and Alexander Molochnikov’s dark comedy about a Russian troupe trying to stage Anton Chekhov’s 1896 classic tragicomedy in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Masha, portraying Nina in the play-within-a-play, asks, “Why is it so dark?” The part is played by Gus Birney, and, for her, the future is nothing but bright.

At the age of twenty-six, Birney is a rising star, and not just because she was named one by Porter magazine. Best known for her roles as Jane Humphrey in Dickinson and Gaynor Phelps in Shining Vale, she is now creeping out horror fans as Portia in the Netflix series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. She excelled as a call girl in Anne Kaufman’s revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window at BAM and on Broadway, was heartbreaking as Dora, a Russian Jew who dreams of becoming a movie star, in Igor Golyak’s brilliant Our Class at BAM. then played Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, in Golyak’s wild and woolly adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice at Classic Stage.

Birney hails from acting royalty; her father is Tony and Drama Desk Award winner Reed Birney (The Humans, House of Cards), her mother is SAG Award nominee Constance Shulman (Orange Is the New Black, Well, I’ll Let You Go), and her older brother, Ephraim (Chester Bailey), is a writer and actor as well.

In The Seagull, Nina Zarechnaya is an ingenue who falls for writer Boris Trigorin while wannabe playwright and director Konstantin Treplev, the son of once-beloved actress Irina Arkadina, is desperately in love with her. A dreamer, Konstantin declares, “I am increasingly convinced that it’s not about old or new forms, but about the fact that what a person writes, not thinking about forms at all, they write because it flies freely from their soul!” That is the same attitude Rarey and Molochnikov bring to Seagull: True Story, a vastly entertaining, thrillingly unpredictable, and insightful exploration of theater, family, and war, running at the Public though May 3, inspired by real events that happened to Molochnikov. Birney shines as Masha and Nico, offering two different interpretations of Nina, opposite Eric Tabach as Kon, Zuzanna Szadkowski as Kon’s mother, Elan Zafir as the dramaturg Anton, and a “fantastic” Andrey Burkovskiy as the MC and other roles. (On April 12, Molochnikov will play Kon, his onstage alter ego, and participate in a postshow Q&A.) At one point, Nico, as Nina, says, “I’m the seagull. No, that’s not right, I’m an actress.”

An actress ready, willing, and able to take chances, Birney recently Zoomed with me from her parents’ New York City apartment, discussing Russian theater, her latest streaming venture, family, pets, and acting.

twi-ny: How are things? Because you’re really busy right now, aren’t you?

gus birney: Oh my gosh, I know! It’s been a really cool period of time, because I have this TV show that just came out right alongside doing this play. It’s been so exciting. This is like an alternate reality of my life where, Oh, there’s a lot going on, but it’s nice to be in a high for a second.

twi-ny: I wanted to start by delving right into Seagull: True Story. I remember speaking with you last May at the opening at La MaMa. It was an all-star opening; Igor Golyak was there, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and various Russian dignitaries. What were your thoughts about the play when you saw it that night? Did you have any inkling that you were going to be in it later?

gb: Well, to answer your first question, when I saw it I was incredibly jealous that I was not in it. I was like, this is so cool. Everyone up there looks like they’re having so much fun. It just felt like an explosion of color and life and passion. I think I hadn’t finished Our Class. I can’t remember if I was still doing it. It had finished, but Our Class was in that same world, but it was so heavy and depressing and dark.

And so it felt like the lighter version of Our Class where it was the same kind of colorfulness, but just so much dance and music, even though this play explores very heavy subjects as well. I had auditioned for a workshop of it with Sasha, and we kept having conversations about me doing it, but the timing never worked out for either of us.

And I saw Stella [Baker] do it and she’s fantastic in the show. And I thought, this is so great. I’m jealous that I’m not in it. And then, about a month ago, they called me and said Stella has a conflict, would you be willing to jump in? It was around the time that Something Very Bad was going to come out. So I knew I’d be limited on timing. And they were incredible because they made it work. I had seven days of rehearsal; I’d never done anything like that — it was so fast. But it’s been a blast. I really have had such a good time; I love it.

twi-ny: The rehearsal process sounds like the play itself, sort of all over the place, in a good way, fast and furious, nonstop.

gb: Yes, definitely.

twi-ny: Have you ever done Chekhov before?

gb: No, I’ve never done it, and now I’ve read The Seagull and I’m dying to be in the Chekhov Seagull; I would love to play Nina. But I do feel like this is great because I get a little touch of that and I’m exploring it in a totally different way.

twi-ny: In a November 2022 essay in Rolling Stone, Sasha wrote, “The world loves Russian theater.” It seems right now that Russian theater loves you. You’ve previously appeared in Igor’s Our Class and The Merchant of Venice. Both directors have unique visions of classic plays and how to adapt them to today’s world. I’m thinking also of Dmitry Krymov, another Russian émigré who’s doing a Vanya adaptation at La MaMa, which I don’t know if you’ll get to see because they’re running at the same time as Seagull. You’re of Polish descent, as we’ve talked about before, but how did you come to fit into this Russian theater niche in New York?

gb: You tell me; I don’t know what happened. Two and a half years ago, I got the audition for Our Class and had no idea what to expect. I read it. I thought it was a beautiful piece, but on paper, it is a completely different experience than what the outcome ended up being. I feel like that’s the same with Sasha’s Seagull. On paper, it looks like one thing, but then you see the finished product and it’s, like, whoa.

Honestly, I don’t know. I feel like I walked into this magical world that I had never thought I would be entering into and that now I never want to leave. I did Sidney Brustein right before I did Our Class, and I learned so much. I was also so terrified and felt way over my head with what I was doing because I didn’t go to acting school, and I felt I was, like, Oh my gosh, I’m entering into this world blind, and I felt like there was this right way and wrong way to do things.

Then I did Our Class and there was no such thing as a mistake. There was no such thing as a wrong move. What I love so much about this Russian world is that mess is right. Mistakes are correct. As someone who’s a very anxious performer, it’s given me this whole new sense of freedom. Like, Oh my gosh, the things you don’t like about yourself and the days that you’re, like, I was bad, or I screwed up this, or I said this line instead of this. No, that’s interesting. It’s different. It’s exciting. And it’s given me this whole newfound confidence in myself.

twi-ny: That’s a great way to put it, because being in the audience for these shows feels the same way. You’re from New York City acting royalty. You’ve been acting since you were three, when you were an elephant in a parade.

gb: Oh my gosh, you know this? Did I tell you this?

twi-ny: You did not tell me this, but I leave no stone unturned. By ten, you’re in Thoroughly Modern Millie, singing “Jimmy.” Your father is Reed Birney, your mother is Constance Shulman; I’ve seen them both many times onstage. I loved your mother in a play called Shhhh. I don’t know if you saw it.

gb: I loved her in that too! It’s one of my favorites!

twi-ny: I love that show. And I’ve also seen them many times in the audience. So when they’re not onstage or filming a movie or television series, they’re going to the theater. And your brother is also a terrific actor. Here’s something that you wrote a few years ago:

“The least interesting thing about my parents is the fact that they’re actors. They’re multifaceted, complicated, curious, hilarious, full of life human beings who also sometimes yell at me to be less self-involved.”

So what is the most interesting thing about your family, and what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from them?

gb: Oh, wow.

twi-ny: Is that too big a question?

gb: No. I’m going to answer with a cliché answer, but my parents are genuinely extraordinarily kind human beings. And they really instilled that in us. Not to pat myself on the back, but I do think that, in my head, kindness and respect, from top to bottom on a set for whoever’s there, was always the number one priority in their heads. We’re an incredibly close family. I’m literally at their apartment right now, and I have my own, but I stay here almost every night. Yeah, we’re all best friends. My mom used to say, Treat every person in a conversation like they’re the only person in a room. And I hope and strive to do that. They do that constantly. Whether they quit acting tomorrow or they continue, it doesn’t matter. It’s about being a kind human being in this world, which I don’t think we have enough of sometimes.

twi-ny: Definitely. The last time I spoke with you, you said that your father was considering retirement. Maybe it was after Lunar Eclipse.

gb: You know, he’s always saying that. I’m sure if you see him, he would be saying that to you, but he’s not going to.

twi-ny: Good. I’ve seen him and your brother, Ephraim, in Chester Bailey. Although I didn’t see it in Williamstown, you’ve acted with your mother in The Rose Tattoo. Which brings me to a favorite cult film of mine, Strawberry Mansion. Your cousin Albert makes this film and all the Birneys are in it except for you. Where are you?

gb: I don’t know! Why wasn’t I there! There wasn’t a part for me, I guess.

twi-ny: It’s a crazy movie.

gb: Yeah, it is crazy. Albert’s insane. He’s amazing, but he lives in his own crazy world.

twi-ny: Well, you’re in so many other things. At sixteen, you start doing TV, theater, and films. You’ve already amassed more than forty credits in ten years. So you’re incredibly busy. Now you’ve got Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. What’s it like going from these three different media, at such a fast pace?

gb: Yes, yes. You know, I learn something through each medium. I have such a respect for theater because that’s how I was raised. I feel like it’s the best way to start out as an actor because it just rounds you in your body and your voice. I feel so lucky to be able to dive into each of these specific worlds of what it is to be an actor. They all feel so different.

I don’t know, you said forty credits and in my head I’m like, Really, have I done that much? But no, it’s so cool. I’m twenty-six now and I still feel like I’m thirteen so much of the time. But it’s good to have moments where I’m really proud of myself.

The show that just came out yesterday is one of the most exciting jobs I’ve ever had. I had such a good time doing it. I’m so happy that the world can see it now. And I feel a little protective over it, because who knows how it’s going to do? Who knows? It’s so crazy what catches on and what doesn’t. And I’m kind of just like, it doesn’t matter what happens with it. I’m so proud of the show. And I’m so happy that it’s out in the zeitgeist and anyone can see it.

twi-ny: Do you have a dream role?

gb: Oh, wow. I don’t know. Someone asked me the other day and I had such a strange answer. They asked, What role would you want adapted to screen from a book? And I said I’d want to play Sally in the live-action version of The Nightmare Before Christmas, because something I get a lot is that I look like a Tim Burton character. And so I would love to play a Tim Burton character. But in a play, definitely right now, the Nina thing is kind of forefront in my head; I would love to play this part and do my little spin on it.

I love The Glass Menagerie; I always talk about that play. I would love to be Laura in that. I did a reading of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? recently; I would love to be Honey. So we’ll see. There’s so many things I want to do.

twi-ny: You’ve mentioned how anxious you get as an actress, but I have a feeling maybe a little bit in real life as well, and you used to describe yourself as shy and strange, particularly when thinking back on your childhood. Today, with all these things going on, can I ask how you feel about yourself, particularly about the confidence you’re building with each performance?

gb: Yeah! Definitely still shy and strange. I did an interview this morning on New York Live and I rewatched it before talking to you and I was, like, Oh my gosh, Gus, you’re so strange. But no, I think what’s happened is I am shy and strange and I also feel such confidence in what I am now.

Oh my gosh, who is this?

twi-ny: This is our kitty, Tuki. She gets in on every Zoom call.

gb: I’m so glad; she can stay for the rest of it. She’s the cutest. I feel like the world is trying to tell me to get an animal because I saw these puppies this morning and now I see this little sweetie and it’s like I just need to.

twi-ny: New York City apartments are not the same without an animal, but you’re not spending enough time in your own apartment to have an animal, a pet.

gb: It’s true. Yeah, that’s what will force me to grow up. Yes, but anyway, I feel like I have a whole other level of confidence in whatever I am at this point in my life, so yes.

twi-ny: One last thing. Having met you several times, seeing you onstage and television, and watching some of your interviews, I can’t help but notice that one of the words that comes up over and over again is fun. You just look like you are having the most fun time. Being in your presence brings happiness. That seems to be your approach to life.

gb: Yes, I think so. I try. I am definitely anxious. We’ve talked about this, but I do think I’m a really positive, optimistic person, and I really love that about myself. Yeah, like how cool is my job — or our job, because you’re also in this artistic crazy world.

You know, it is terrifying what is going on at this point in history, so let’s enjoy the moments where it’s light. In this play I get to dance, I get to sing, I get to run around, and it’s the coolest thing to just compartmentalize for two hours out of your day and just be free. So yes, I appreciate you saying that. That’s what I would strive to be: happy.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer; you can follow him on Substack here.]