A well acted yet confusing piece that failed to deliver
The Dance of Death (by August Strindberg and adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz) is a miserable tale of an unhappy, frosty marriage between two bitter partners on an even bleaker island. The play kicks off with the introduction of a third party to their dynamic exacerbating the difficulty of their marriage as each partner tries to prove that they are the victim and the other is the evil one. This is especially true for Alice (Lindsay Duncan) as we see her stories change frequently to gain sympathy and paint her husband as evil in every situation. Throughout the performance we witness countless lies and acts of manipulation, all designed to undermine and guilt the audience into siding with one of the pair.
Overall, the play was lacklustre and fell flat. The plot did not enrapture me, there were no definitive events nor interactions that shaped this piece and I found myself losing focus frequently. Struggling to find a connection to any of the characters or their actions I found it hard to follow their intrigues and machinations without finding the whole thing a bit over the top. In particular I disliked their use of vampires and biting as a metaphor for manipulation in this play – it didn’t feel like a natural fit and felt a bit throwaway – garnering laughs when perhaps it wasn’t meant to. I would recommend this play to an older audience, with the added requirement of marital experiences to really resonate with the theme. When Strindberg wrote The Dance of Death he had already experienced marriage twice and it is undeniable some of his bitterness (and acerbic humour) found itself in the material.
That being said, there were some definite positives to this play. Some of the acting, especially the witty two handed exchanges, were brilliant.
I am specifically thinking of a scene between Alice and Katrin (Emily Bruni) that captured the intensity of their relationship and Alice’s manipulation. One instance in particular shows Lindsay Duncan, playing Alice, stroking Katrin’s face in an almost loving way that somehow morphs in front of the audience’s eyes to become controlling.
Again between Alice and Edgar (Hilton McRae) there were some very witty scenes – the strength of the dialogue appearing in duos – the scenes where there were three participants became convoluted and difficult to follow. Furthermore, the use of sound effects to create an ambience and fever dream-like state during Edgar’s rages were clever.
To conclude there were some glimpses of wit and insight in this play but the dismal attitude won out. For those in the mood for a metaphoric, miserable play about failed marriage then go ahead…
The Dance of Death is playing at The Oxford Playhouse until the 11th June.