‘John Gabriel Borkman’ by Henrik Ibsen
20 October 2022
On Saturday we were at the Bridge Theatre in London to see Henrik Ibsen’s 1896 play ‘John Gabriel Borkman’ in a new version by Lucinda Coxon, from a literal translation by Charlotte Barslund. This story of a disgraced former banker, imprisoned for speculating with his investors' money, feels all too topical. It’s a play with three leads - the titular banker, his wife and her sister - and Nicholas Hytner’s production boasts three star performances, from Simon Russell Beale, Claire Higgins and Lia Williams. Simon Russell Beale’s Borkman bears a striking resemblance (both physically and behaviourally) to a recent UK Prime Minister, and ends up looking like a blatant audition for King Lear. (Regular readers may remember I am patiently waiting for Simon Russell Beale to play Lear - see my review of his Prospero in ‘The Tempest’ here in November 2016.) I particularly liked the comic exchanges between Borkman and Vilhelm Foldal (Michael Simkins) which were wittily scripted and delivered in perfect dead-pan. But I felt Lia Williams stole the show with her performance as Ella. I had a feeling we had seen her on stage before and I now see I reviewed her super Rosalind in ‘As You Like It’ here in November 2005. I really enjoyed ‘John Gabriel Borkman’, more so for not having seen it before and discovering the unravelling plot for the first time.
posted by Robin Simpson @ 10:46 am
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