Two stunning actors, a script that cuts to the bone, 30-plus knives on a wall, a series of acrobatic dance moves, a set that revolves, menaces and plays … combine them all and you have riveting drama.
Stockholm by Bryony Lavery is a play about love that’s become all-consuming. We’ve all seen, experienced or heard the horror stories of relationships that become abusive and controlling. It’s easy from the outside to look in and blame the victim for staying and the abuser for abusing, but it’s never that easy from the inside. With Stockholm we get to see the dynamics that trap this couple and the joy that makes them feel it’s all worthwhile.
The play gets its name from the Swedish city, which the lovebirds (Todd and Kali) are about to visit for a romantic holiday, and also from Stockholm Syndrome where captives develop loyalty to their captors. This is part of the push-pull attraction of the piece. Think honeymoon lightness and joy and mix it with hostage holding menace and you might start getting an idea of the complexities.
Socratis Otto and Leeanna WalsmanTodd and Kali talk to each other, talk to themselves and break through the fourth wall to talk to us, the audience. It sounds confusing but never is. The play loops through time (present, past and possible futures), allowing the characters to break out of their determinedly happy reality and giving us a glimpse of the horror that lies underneath.
Frantic Assembly worked with Bryony Lavery to devise the script in England. It’s had a very successful tour there and the production we are now seeing has been produced by Sydney Theatre Company working with Frantic Assembly. Frantic’s two directors/choreographers, Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, came to Sydney to hold auditions and rehearse the show. They cast two incredible Australian actors: Socratis Otto and Leeanna Walsman (read our interview with them here) as Todd and Kali and re-directed the show to include the ideas and energy the actors brought to it.
Socratis and Leeanna are astonishing in this play. It’s the sort of work actors lust after: a play that stretches them physically, emotionally and vocally and requires bravery and honesty in the playing of it. The two actors have embraced the challenges and are mesmerising in their portrayals. Their passion sizzles on stage, steaming up glasses in the audience and causing discomfort to the prudish. (If explicit language and depictions of sexual acts cause offence, then don’t come and see the show, but you will be missing out on a brilliant production.) As well as being beautiful to watch and incredibly sexy, Socratis and Leeanna are also vulnerable, raw, honest and funny. Their story is heart breaking and all too common.
The design elements work together flawlessly to make this production the visually stunning piece it is. Laura Hopkins’ set revolves; one side of it a staircase (the location of one of the funniest and most outrageous sex scenes I’ve seen), the other side a kitchen complete with cook tops, benches and a dazzling array of knives. There are plenty of surprises within the set, but I won’t mention them here for fear of ruining the show for those who haven’t seen it yet. Andy Purves’ lighting design is beautiful and Adrienne Quartly’s sound is superb.
La Boite has chosen a brilliant piece to present in its new look season. Stockholm uses dance, acrobatic moves, strength and agility to make something intensely physical and exciting out of a wonderful piece of text. There’s been some debate on this blog about the merits of text-based theatre versus contemporary performance and Stockholm manages to merge the two genres seamlessly.
Photographs by Brett Boardman.
