Hey, Studio Theatre, you’re not the only theater company that knows how to drop an F- bomb. Woolly Mammoth’s got its own contribution to the grandma-unfriendly theater season: Stupid Fucking Bird, local playwright Aaron Posner’s tribute to Chekhov’s The Seagull. But where The Motherfucker With the Hat, produced by Studio earlier this year, unleashes its profanity to convey an ex-con’s suspicion of his girlfriend’s infidelity, Woolly’s newest show uses “fucking” to touch on emotional angst and a bit of ennui. Posner’s work updates Chekhov’s 19th-century exploration of misery and unrequited love, omitting much of the heavy Russian subtext, but leaving in the good stuff: The actors still fight for affection, the novelist searches for inspiration, and the young director struggles to create something new and meaningful. It all goes to show that life can fucking suck, no matter what century you’re living in.

The play runs May 27 to June 23 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. $35–$45. (202) 393-3939. woollymammoth.net.