But Wilton does so by inference, showing us a woman who has clearly battled up the theatrical ladder, acquiring in the process a frightening force of personality as well as her notorious meanness with money. Noble is able to fill any silences in Peter Gill's brisk new translation with emotional eloquence, and his cast are generous with telling detail. It is a sign of the evening's distinction that Wilton's tiny pause suggests just that. Adrian Noble's production is a mixed affair. It is full of acute detail, heightens the play's Hamletesque references and has a very Russian sense of atmosphere.
Gulls cry, the wind sighs in the trees, waves lap against the lake shore.
There is also a heartstopping moment when the characters sit and listen to the sound of distant music and laughter. It not only evokes past happiness but achingly counterpoints the lovelorn sadness that taints Chekhov's people. If there is a reservation in my voice, it has to do with the need for the RSC to revive The Seagull so soon after Terry Hands's superlative production in The Swan. In the case of Penelope Wilton's superb Arkadina, however, age is simply irrelevant. Wilton does not judge Arkadina.