The late, great Swedish film and theatre auteur Ingmar Bergman explored some dark places in his stellar 60 year career.
His 1976 film FACE TO FACE must rate as one of his darkest. FACE TO FACE charts the journey of Dr Jenny Isaaksson, a confident, reputable middle-aged psychiatrist, who goes through a massive nervous breakdown and tries to come out the other side.
Prominent young director Simon Stone, who has his own predilection for the dark side, with credits including Seneca’s THYESTES for this year’s Festival, has chosen this Bergman piece as his contribution to this year’s Sydney Theatre Company’s 2012 season. Together with Andrew Upton, they have adapted Bergman’s screenplay for the stage.
Stone has gathered together a strong, distinctive team around him to bring Bergman’s narrative to life. The cast includes such luminaries as Kerry Fox, John Gaden and Wendy Hughes. Heading the creative team is Nick Schlieper who, with his set and lighting work, brilliantly evokes Jenny’s world.
This is a tough night at the theatre as we watch Jenny’s life unravel. Kerry Fox’s performance is quite extraordinary as is Nick Schlieper’s staging, which so effectively underscores and comments on the action.
There is a moment of eclipse when Jenny’s normal life is transformed and the new set of a stark white hospital room descends from the flies. The surreal, nightmare scenes are well conveyed as Jenny thrashes about the confines of her hospital bed.
The play’s most striking scene sees the entire cast appear at the front of the stage, seated as if they were part of an audience at a classical music concert, with music playing in the background, in a very typically middle class pose, with a late arriving Jenny, in a shimmering emerald blouse, barely managing to hold herself together.
The final scene, so simple and yet so effective, conveys the gulfs in communication that persist between people as close even as a mother and her daughter.
Led by Kerry Fox’s fine performance, the cast perform strongly. Stand-outs were Mitchell Butel as the charming, confused Tomas, Humphrey Bower as the cynical, fatuous Wankel, John Gaden and Wendy Hughes as Jenny’s Uncle and Aunt who adopt her from a young age, and Queenie van de Zandt as Jenny’s social butterfly friend, Elizabeth.
Simon Stone’s production for the Sydney Theatre Company of FACE TO FACE opened at the Sydney Theatre on Saturday 11th August and plays until Saturday 8th September, 2012
(c) David Kary
Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- FACE TO FACE, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre, Simon Stone, Andrew Upton, Ingmar Bergman.