Rosmersholm

“Fjord fiesta: Ibsen given an enjoyable restaging. [...] As written, the play has only six characters, but a seventh — Rosmer's dead wife, Beate — stalks the central protagonists in Terje Tveit’s bold, expressionistic staging, literalising the theme of the hold of the dead over the living. Turbulent, dissonant violins swirl and underscore the rapturously delivered dialogue with its recurrent feverish talk of white horses. There are few props: a length of draped fabric variously suggests twitching net curtains — a symbol of bourgeois society spying on itself — and a kind of bridal veil for the marvelously perverse Rebekka, played here with magnetic intensity by Valborg Frøysnes. It’s still a difficult play, but Tveit and his company make it a highly enjoyable challenge.”

“This new production makes use of fresh dialogue and has an uncommon energy. Strong performances from the entire cast, especially from Matthew Rutherford as the emotionally and ideologically torn Johannes Rosmer, drive the play. From the enigmatic opening to the disturbing, yet elevating conclusion, the audience are kept riveted to their seats thanks to the psychological and dramatic potency of the production. A number of daring directorial and design decisions are welcome surprises, including a long white transparent drape that the actors manipulate throughout and the addition of symbolic action sequences. The atmosphere of the production is vaguely Hitchcockian and uses film noir aesthetics, from twitching curtains in windows to a discordant ‘score’ of piercing violins. For all its vitality and innovation, the play is unrelenting, the light relief is scarce and the performances necessarily lengthy. It demands attention and energy from the audience, but rewards any investment greatly.”