Edgar, a retired army captain, and Alice, a former actress, are awaiting their 25th wedding anniversary. Socially and physically isolated on a remote island, they spend their days despising each other until the arrival of Alice's cousin Kurt. When Kurt discovers Edgar has had influence over the outcome of his recent divorce, he forms an alliance with Alice to plot against the captain with unexpected results.
This darkly humorous classic, which paved the way for plays like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, leaves the audience contemplating the true nature of marriage.
This amateur production is presented by special arrangement with Nick Hern Books
CAST
Edgar
Fraser Wanless
Alice
Kareena Sims
Kurt
Graeme Jennings
Jenny / Maya
Danielle Wain
There are no items to display
Theatre Review: The Dance of Death
Gareth Morgan found both highs and lows in the Lace Market Theatre's production of The Dance of Death.
In the week following the announcement of the date for our possible last dance with the EU, the Lace Market Theatre continue their studio season with another European gem in August Strindberg's The Dance of Death.
The Swedish playwright's 1900 drama follows the domestic tribulations of husband and wife Edgar and Alice, a retired artillery captain and a former actress taken away from the stage by their marriage, in their isolated island home. Their children no longer live with them as each has turned the children against the other. They'll soon be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and their verbal jousting is further exacerbated by the arrival of Kurt, Alice's cousin, for whom she has always harboured a bit of crush. With Kurt's entrance into their pokey little home, the couple raise the stakes.
Alice regularly tries to goad the unwell Edgar into bringing on a heart-attack by playing the music to his party-piece dance, The Entry of the Boyars - although this wasn't Strindberg's first choice of music: he'd originally wanted the Jonathan Creek music - Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre. However Henrik Ibsen had used it 4 years previous in his John Gabriel Borkman. This is the eponymous deadly dance, and it very nearly succeeds. Edgar, retaliating, threatens to cut her out of his will. The story charges through the pitch-black material, teetering on the fine line between tragedy and comedy - although for me always staying on the side of the former, until we arrive back at the impasse of the beginning. It's an absurd, cyclical story which exposes the very worst of three people who regularly profess to love each other.
In its performance here, however, the jokes land a bit too well. The darkness of the script, under Paul Johnson's direction, feels camp and hammy. There are moments of intolerable cruelty, misery and despair in the script but they often appeared more like Are You Being Served? Fraser Wanless stands out and is fantastic fun as tyrannical Edgar, although it does feel as the whole piece is delivered in a sonorous 'acting' voice rather than something more natural. Kareena Sims, as Alice, and Graeme Jennings, Kurt, however are on opposite ends of the actor's spectrum: she often veering into the melodramatic and he as wooden as a post, especially when Kurt is overcome with carnal desire - which got some of the loudest hoots of the night.
But this is also a praiseworthy production. The simple set is the best I've seen in the Lace Market's bar-cum-studio, made up of a driftwood-like panel and just the minimum of stage props, designed by Oliver Lovely, and there's an evocative sound-design from Gareth Morris. However, I struggled to really get into the direction and staging of Strindberg's caustic and brilliant script as it ends up being more panto than pensive.
To the Lace Market Theatre's credit it's a great accompanying piece of programming to their Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? from earlier in the season, although it runs over a much shorter running time, and worth going to see if you're interested in playwriting. It's a super example of Strindberg's work, which we've seen evidence of throughout plays ever since, with characters swinging from mood to mood, raw emotion and jagged edges. Just, for me, this production wasn't quite that - I did see it on its first night so let's hope it finds its own edge during the run.
Read the original article here.
The Dance of Death at Lace Market Theatre, Nottingham: Review
A married couple, he a still junior army officer, she an ex-very average actress, are coming up for their silver wedding anniversary. They live alone on an island in married quarters, a converted prison; the children have deserted them, or died.
Theirs has been a loveless relationship, empty and miserable beyond belief. It isn't a marriage from hell; it is hell. They don't even know why they hate each other.
A divorced male cousin of the wife comes on a surprise visit only to get entangled in the unbearable bleakness and pessimism.
Written in 1900, Strindberg's The Dance of Death bears striking similarities to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The lines sound naturalistic; the themes and subject matter are almost contemporary. There are more than suggestions even of sado-masochism. Yet the whole thing manages at times to be blackly funny.
Directed by Paul Johnson, all three principal actors do marvellous work. Their control and articulation of some difficult dialogue is admirable; so is their stagecraft.
As tyrannical husband Edgar, the versatile Fraser Wanless gives what must be one of his finest performances to date, which is a considerable claim. It's the outstanding turn of the evening. His only problem is a tendency to over-do the shouting in the shouty bits.
Kareena Sims is on top form as wife Alice. She contrives to convey coquettishness, manipulation and deep devilry with subtle movement of eye or mouth.
Graeme Jennings manages cousin Kurt's transition from mild-mannered peace-maker to voracious would-be vampire and grovelling slave with practised skill.
The set and dressing are splendid. Unusually, the props include a telegraph machine that features prominently in the narrative.
Upstairs studio productions can present the Lace Market Theatre at its strongest. This one certainly does. Get a ticket if there are still any to be had.
Read the original article here.
"The Dance Of Death" by August Strindberg
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre
This is a surprising play, as well as a new one to me, as is the writer, Strindberg. Surprising because from the brief description I had, it was to be a bit of a depressing affair. Well it's not because there's a lot of comedy here, in the most depressing of situations.
"Dance Of Death" can be translated in a couple of ways. Edgar is due to celebrate his and Alice's 25th wedding anniversary but we discover that he is ill, although he has tried to hide it from Alice. It could be the merry dance they lead each other towards his imminent death, or it could just be the death of their marriage.
They insult and pick away at each other verbally,and at times physically, insulting the staff and each other. Introduce into this volatile mix Alice's cousin, Kurt, who's support for the pair changes like the wind.
Purposely I read nothing about this play, or Strindberg, just so that I'd get the full un-cushioned or pre-warned affect of the play, and that's the way I like it. Strindberg seems to write in the same way as some of the great Northern writers, because he creates real characters who you can believe in, characters who have a certain freshness and truth to them, this automatically breaks down any barriers between the audience and the character in the quickest of time.
Fraser Wanless as the retired artillery captain and tyrant is wonderful, and possibly one of the best roles I've seen Fraser portray. He made me believe the character, his vitriol and nastiness towards his wife. He's a liar, the opposite of what you'd expect from a man of his calibre, as in the first half he comes across, or gives the image of having no money. In the second half, he's quite flush!
In the second half, Alice, who was a former actress, seems to be a stronger person and less caring and human, until the final twist when her would be future world seems to be crashing down around her, and Edgar gets his way again. Alice is played by Kareena Sims, and it's lovely to see both quality actors letting rip with some emotional scenes. At first it seemed like Alice may be a weak character but the slow burn soon dispelled that idea.
Kurt, played by Graeme Jennings, is also a slow burner. He looks decidedly embarrassed, like a naughty school boy, when Edgar is ripping into him at the start but it is in act two that the tiger in Kurt was released. Again some powerful words and scenes from Kurt, especially as his relationship with Alice evolved and exploded.
The fourth character is the maid, Jenny, also doubling as Maya, played by Danielle Wain.
Directed by Paul Johnson, he manages to bring the emotion out of the actors, and the subtle sideways glances from Edgar and Alice at the start and end of the play, just adds that little something which makes you believe that these two, even though they profess to want the other out of their lives, they do have feelings for each other.
A simple set, in the upper part of the theatre, it doesn't add anything to the play, but it's not supposed to enhance the play or the script. Oliver Lovely created the set to be unobtrusive and it did the job it was meant to, and let's face it, without the simple table, chairs, chaise longue and piano, the actors would be upstanding throughout.
The sound design of the effects were subtle but effective in setting the atmosphere and creating an external space away from the performing area. painting pictures in the viewer's imagination.Designed by Gareth Morris.
An interesting play, which is something that the Lace Market Theatre do so well. I know that I'm in for an education whenever I'm at the Lace Market Theatre and their choice of productions need applauding for being just a little different and brave in their choices.
Read the original article here.
This site uses some unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer.
Some cookies on this site are essential, and the site won't work as expected without them. These cookies are set when you submit a form, login or interact with the site by doing something that goes beyond clicking on simple links.
We also use some non-essential cookies to anonymously track visitors or enhance your experience of the site. If you're not happy with this, we won't set these cookies but some nice features of the site may be unavailable.
By using our site you accept these terms.