Stellar Strindberg
Review by Dylan Strain
Borealis Productions are a new theatre company, created in part, after the two lead actors in this production met performing The Father for another theatre company and decided they could do better. They succeeded. This is stellar theatre.
Written in 1887, one year before Strindberg’s most famous play, Miss Julie, The Father is more relevant than most contempory plays, dealing brilliantly with the relationship between women and men. The father, Adolf is a sensitive army captain, his wife is Laura. They’ve a daughter Bertha. The battle, not one Adolf will ever have experienced, commences.
Llewellyn St David and Clara Andersson lead a superb ensemble cast, who work together with energy and pace under director Niki Flacks. One minor criticism: the arty backdrop featuring characters in silhouette is unnecessary and distracting from the fizzing drama, simply presented on the stage. This is deep drama, a tragedy, with many comic moments.
The play runs until 12th November at The Courtyard Theatre, Covent Garden.
