Text by Alice Broughton
Tucked away from the action of the Royal Mile – an adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts comes from a contemporary Ukraine and transplants the action of a bourgeois family unravelling.
The play, whose three night run at the Fringe earlier this month, relies on gloomy shadows to depict the sins of a desist father whose secretive past unfolds between mother and son.
Frau Alving is the widow of a prominent member of society, who must come to grips with her husband’s dark legacy. Now on the 10th year anniversary of her husband’s death, in a country reborn, a new orphanage has been dedicated in his name, for this occasion her artist son Oswald returns from Paris with his own secret to tell and Fru Alving must face the consequences of her former life. Some legacies are impossible to escape; some ghosts can never be laid to rest.
Much of the play is taken up with reflections of the the older generation, who suffered under the hypocrisy and class tensions of the previous one. The production elegantly unlocks Ibsen’s script – tales of the late father’s reckless behaviour and serial adultery hangs like a black balloon, whilst Oswald’s illness, passed through the male line destroys any glimpse happiness. The production envelops the audience and leaves a lasting impact; carried by a terrific cast from the Suzirja Theatre company – the first engagement theatre in post-soviet Ukraine.
Director Polina Medvedeva’s training a ballet dancer is reflected in the tightly choreographed direction that aids in building to an intense climax. As well as directing, she has acted in productions of the Cherry Orchard (Anya) and Irina in The Three Sisters and is dedicated to retelling the works of modern realistic drama.
Suzirja will announce further European tour dates of Specters in September.