Scenes from a Marriage - Queensland Theatre. Photography by Rob Maccol.
It’s the train-wreck you can’t look away from. Painful and all too real, Joanna Murray-Smith’s adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s, Scenes from a Marriage maps a couple’s well-constructed life through the ignored cracks, into the total annihilation of their seemingly perfect relationship.
Marianne (Marta Dusseldorp) and Johan (Ben Winspear) seemingly have it all; two daughters, great careers, wealth, a nice home, and each other, what more could you want? But when Marianne is blind-sided by infidelity, the invisible poly-filler can no longer hold together the self-deluded perfect life.
Originally written and directed by Ingmar Bergman in 1973 as a TV series, Scenes from a Marriage was attributed to an increase in the divorce rates across Europe.
Photography by Rob Maccol.
Scenes from a Marriage is an experiential play in the sense that each audience member will have a different relationship to it based on their own sub-set of life experiences. The play resonates with someone who has been cheated on, someone who has cheated, someone who has given up or lost a baby, and someone who just can’t pin-point the moment it started to sour. While one audience member may not comprehend why someone would be drawn back to a cheater, another audience member may resonate with this tortured tug-of-war.
Director (and Queensland Theatre Associate Artistic Director), Paige Rattray helped shape a realistic portrayal of a layered and weathered relationship with two nuanced human beings who were both uncomfortable and engrossing to watch, (it also helps if the two leads are real-life partners as are Dusseldorp and Winspear). While it’s hard to sympathise with an egotistical extrovert-come-narcissist as Johan, Marianne was much more likeable, but not without flaw. Dusseldorp was superb as Marianne, with quite the character journey, weathering four-seasons of emotions from playful, desperate, despairing, torn, spiteful, and resolved. Especially poignant was the hospital scene and the devastating breakup scene in the holiday cottage.
Supporting the couple on-stage were theatre stalwarts, Christen O’Leary, Hugh Parker, and Loani Arman, who helped fill in the ancillary characters in the couple’s lives.
Photography by Rob Maccol.
Derived from its Scandinavian roots was the minimalistic, white IKEA-like set design by David Fleischer, which transitioned scenes seamlessly with the addition of a set piece here and there. This contrasted beautifully with the lived-in, holiday cottage showcasing a glass window backdrop filled with lush, picturesque greenery – just gorgeous. Kelly Ryall’s composition/sound design also complemented the story’s trajectory with a subtle atmospheric soundscape.
A compelling performance, Scenes from a Marriage reflects the dual comforts and catastrophes that relationships offer, like two magnets that repel and attract at the same time, depending on the coin toss of the moment.
Scenes from a Marriage is currently on at QPAC’s Playhouse until December 3.
Warning: This production contains strong coarse language, herbal cigarettes and a scene depicting domestic violence on stage.
Show: Scenes from a Marriage
Company: Queensland Theatre
Dates: 16 November – 3 December 2017
Venue: Playhouse, Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Website: www.queenslandtheatre.com.au/Shows/Scenes-From-A-Marriage
Bookings Link: www.qpac.com.au
Bookings Ph: 136 246
