Post by mayflower on Feb 6, 2006 17:14:51 GMT -5
Festen
Daring, bold and deliciously dark humoured, David Eldridge's exquisite adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg's film is the stuff of theatrical dreams and nightmares.
A brilliant cast works with an explosive script, tackling incendiary subject matter that really gets under your skin.
It's no surprise that the original London staging was nominated for five prestigious Olivier Awards including Best New Play, or that Festen will open later this year on Broadway.
The touring production is, in some ways, an even more visceral experience. In the intimate setting of some of the UK's best regional theatres, there is no escape from the relentless exposure of dark secrets and shocking revelations.
When the interval finally arrives, it's a welcome relief from the suffocating tension.
Founded on a simple premise - a family gathering for a 60th birthday party - the theatre production weaves a mesmeric spell with its unexpected twists and turns as different members of the clan are forced to bare their souls and let the skeletons come a-rattlin' out of the family closet.
Youngest son Christian (Christian Coulson), who is still haunted by the death of his twin Linda, lights the touch paper on an evening of explosive discoveries, then stands back to admire the destruction.
Iron fist patriarch Helge (Rupert Frazer) and mother Else (Belinda Sinclair) try to rise above the bitter recriminations but the ghosts of the past cannot be ignored forever.
Christian's brother Michael (Laurence Matthew) and his wife Mette (Lucianne McEvoy), and free-spirited sister Helene (Miranda Foster), who brings her black boyfriend Gbatokai (Mark Theodore) to the festivities, are dumfounded too.
In fact, only the staff - including pretty maid Pia (Camilla Arfwedson) - seem willing to absorb Christian's so-called truth.
Accusations of abuse propel the party towards its dramatic finale which is as satisfying as it is shocking and unsettling.
Coulson leads the terrific cast, playing the ghostlike figure whose determination to avenge his sister comes as a terrible price.
Prepare to attend the party of the year: it's one you'll never forget.
Festen Review Link
Thanks to
Suzan
Daring, bold and deliciously dark humoured, David Eldridge's exquisite adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg's film is the stuff of theatrical dreams and nightmares.
A brilliant cast works with an explosive script, tackling incendiary subject matter that really gets under your skin.
It's no surprise that the original London staging was nominated for five prestigious Olivier Awards including Best New Play, or that Festen will open later this year on Broadway.
The touring production is, in some ways, an even more visceral experience. In the intimate setting of some of the UK's best regional theatres, there is no escape from the relentless exposure of dark secrets and shocking revelations.
When the interval finally arrives, it's a welcome relief from the suffocating tension.
Founded on a simple premise - a family gathering for a 60th birthday party - the theatre production weaves a mesmeric spell with its unexpected twists and turns as different members of the clan are forced to bare their souls and let the skeletons come a-rattlin' out of the family closet.
Youngest son Christian (Christian Coulson), who is still haunted by the death of his twin Linda, lights the touch paper on an evening of explosive discoveries, then stands back to admire the destruction.
Iron fist patriarch Helge (Rupert Frazer) and mother Else (Belinda Sinclair) try to rise above the bitter recriminations but the ghosts of the past cannot be ignored forever.
Christian's brother Michael (Laurence Matthew) and his wife Mette (Lucianne McEvoy), and free-spirited sister Helene (Miranda Foster), who brings her black boyfriend Gbatokai (Mark Theodore) to the festivities, are dumfounded too.
In fact, only the staff - including pretty maid Pia (Camilla Arfwedson) - seem willing to absorb Christian's so-called truth.
Accusations of abuse propel the party towards its dramatic finale which is as satisfying as it is shocking and unsettling.
Coulson leads the terrific cast, playing the ghostlike figure whose determination to avenge his sister comes as a terrible price.
Prepare to attend the party of the year: it's one you'll never forget.
Festen Review Link
Thanks to
Suzan