A vivid journey through time. Review of the performance ''Til Fyret''
To the Lighthouse, an energetic, intense and magical performance based on the novel of the same name, written by Virginia Woolf.
The play begins in a mysterious shadow of light where the person behind the concept and set design, Hildur Kristinsdottir, talks about the message and meaning of Virginia Woolf; that everyone dies at a certain point and that the time we choose to fill our lives with is important.
We are then introduced to James, a little boy of 6 years old, played by Jimmie Jonason, a boy who wants to explore the world. His biggest wish is to go to the lighthouse to visit the family of three who live there. The father of the house, played by Lars August Jørgensen, a man with a desire to be remembered among the greats. He tries to teach his son that what's on the inside is not important, but that ''the minerals are in the shell''. He tells them not to go to the lighthouse if the weather is bad. As a father, he feels it is his duty to tell his son the truth.
The weather is always forecast to be bad and James thinks it's true. Everything his father says is true. We get to know his mother, played by Nina Elieen, a bubbly lady who loves her son and wants to preserve his childhood by giving him hope. We see in this play that there is a great contrast between the personalities of mother and father. We get to know the characters through what's going on in their heads.
The use of body and voice was actively and creatively used throughout the play to show emotions and opinions, but also in the use of levels within body, voice and speed. Throughout the play, there was a lot of use of props, the stage and symbolism. Not all the symbolism was revealed, but director Hildur Kristinsdottir made herself available to the audience afterwards if there were any questions or other comments about the play.
The stage design was incredibly beautiful and simple. You enter the auditorium and see a house made of light, bright curtains and light poles, a garden of artificial grass and an oak tree in the middle of the stage, and to the left an enormous tiki mask that Kristindottir stood behind for most of the play, before she began to take part in the play on stage. The creative use of artificial grass gave them the opportunity to lift, run and jump, giving them the freedom to get more into character and have no inhibitions when it came to the physicality. The use of amazing sound, lighting and more unusual visual effects created magical, beautiful, intense and fun scenes that created an overall mood in the hall, which was very interesting to see in live action.
Pieces of paper floating in the air like snow from a fan and a massive storm using smoke, leaf blowers, lights and sound effects. In the end, the stage was covered with rubbish, props, pieces of paper and much more. This was incredibly fun and exciting due to the fact that it was not a feeling of clearing the stage, but rather the exact opposite.
To summarize, I simply have to say that I could find little wrong in this wonderful journey through the lives of mother, father and son. Gripping, funny and intense scenes that were easily burned into the skulls of the audience. Incredible performance by actors, sound and lighting personnel and not least the direction by Hildur Kristinsdottir.
Review by Jakob Dahl Skarpeid
Photo: To the lighthouse - Stinnifoto