In SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE Marianne (Stine Stengade) and Johan (Morten Kirskov) at first seem to have a happy life…Successful careers, a comfortable home and two loving children. But as years of companionship give way to scandal and suffering, the two find their world has turned upside down.
This play is a stage adaptation of legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s 1970s television miniseries and was first produced by the Royal Danish Theatre in 2012.
This is an outstanding production. The couple’s journey is told in a very stark and atmospheric way. The stage is bare apart from a couple of chairs and an excellent lighting design sees the two performers often cast in shadow. Both performers are softly spotlit at times which adds to the drama.
The play’s opening scene is unusual in its tone. It is such a warm and friendly opening with the couple introducing themselves and their particular ‘story’. The house lights are kept on. Once the opening scene is complete, the house lights are dimmed and the play begins in earnest with a much darker tone.
As the title suggests the couple’s journey is told in scenes, with each vignette given a title with some titles very to the point. One scene is simply and very to the point called The Illiterates, incisively commenting on the difficult, tortured way the couple have been communicating with each other.
Thomas Bendiven’s direction was superb with a highlight being the actors great use of the stage and the angles provided. Watching the two performers was a bit like witnessing an intricate dance with the coming together, the pushing apart, the manoeuvring around, the clashing…
The performances were excellent. Stine Stengade’s performance was very physical, demonstrative, intense whereas Morten Kirkskov’s playing was subtler whilst equally effective.
Leaving the theatre the strongest impression that I was left with was that these two people cared for each other, loved each other very deeply and unconventionally. It was a love strong enough to weather storms that would have seen other couple part many years ago and never talk to each other again.
Highly recommended, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE performed in Danish with English surtitles, is playing the Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House until 21 October 2018.
