Prima Facie – Completely blown away

When I discovered it was a monologue performance, my expectations quickly dropped. Yet I left feeling overwhelmed by a performance that was far better than anything I could have ever imagined.

The performance begins abruptly, we are thrown straight into a trial, and meet defense attorney Tessa Ensler. The sound of drums beats in time with her passionate heartbeat, creating an intense and energetic drive. Tessa tells how she sees the legal system – as a game, a game with rules and strategies. She appears confident, energetic and very capable. When she questions a witness, she begins cautiously with some seemingly simple questions. She notices that the man in the witness box underestimates her, he thinks she is fresh and harmless. That is exactly how she wants it. Because when he lets his guard down, she makes him reveal himself. She collects evidence like pieces in a puzzle. This is her game, and she plays to win.

Through the play we also get a glimpse into Tessa's private life. She has a brother who falls into the wrong environment and drinks too much, a mother with whom she has a strained relationship, and a younger brother who seems withdrawn. All of this puts additional pressure on her, because she is seen as the pride of the family, the one who will make it.

We gradually get to know her life situation better. She mainly works on assault cases, and it is questioned whether this is partly because it looks “better” for a woman to handle such cases. She works in an office with her best friend Adam and a close friend. Julian, another defense attorney, also works there, with whom she eventually develops a romantic relationship.

But before she knows it, the romantic relationship turns into her being subjected to an assault. Something that crushes her in ways she could never have imagined. Suddenly she realizes that this is what she has been defending all these years. She has always thought that it is not her fault that the accused of assault is acquitted, because the law should protect everyone and that the rule of law is above all else. But suddenly she understands. She knows how everything is going to go from here, she knows she is not going to win the trial. She knows how the process goes from a complaint to a verdict, and she knows that she does not have enough evidence or grounds for it to go her way. But she chooses to report it anyway. Not for herself, but so that no one else experiences the same thing as her. 

The rest of the play involves us seeing the entire process, step by step, from her complaint to her time in court and the final verdict. It took a full 782 days from the time she filed the complaint to the start of the trial. She has been to court over a hundred times before with similar cases, but “It’s different when you’re here yourself”. After much questioning, Tessa realizes that she’s not going to win, the defense attorney is using the same strategies she used to use herself. They twist her explanation, so it seems as if the assault is something she made up to get higher up the career ladder than Julian. So, just as Tessa expected, she loses the trial, and Julian is released. Tessa loses her courage, all her faith in the legal system. Her final line is: “The only thing I know is that there has to be a change.”

Less is more: The simple seemed powerful

Prima Facie has been performed at both the Riksteatret and the Nationaltheater over the past year. I saw the performance at the Amfiscenen at the Nationaltheater on August 14. The scenography is a simple but very functional platform that changes in step with the character's emotional journey. At the beginning, the stage functions as a stable base for the main character, where she stands on a horizontal surface, which may be a symbolic representation of control and stability in her life. The horizontal platform gives the impression that she is in control of her existence. 

As her inner and outer worlds come crashing down, a physical change occurs on stage that mirrors her psychological state. At one point in the performance, the platform is adjusted upwards and she slides off the stage. 

The design of the scene, with a hatch that can be lifted, is also an important tool to convey the protagonist's feelings of isolation and escape. After the assault, she uses the hatch as a hiding place, a physical space where she can hide away from the world. It may be symbolic of the need to escape, both physically and mentally.

Irresistibly powerful and realistic

This performance was absolutely amazing, and it is almost impossible to find words that can do it justice. The actress Maria Kristine Hildonen was incredibly talented! I have never seen an actress who is so perfectly able to convey so many emotions, scenes and characters with such great precision. Every single movement and line felt well thought out and realistic, which really drew me into the story.

What really impressed me was how realistic and nuanced the play felt. It is clear that the author, Suzie Miller, has a deep understanding of the themes she addresses, especially when it comes to the legal system and how men often escape punishment for their actions. In an interview with the National Theatre, Miller explains that she wrote the play out of her own anger after studying gender in law during her education. The studies gave her a new and deeper understanding of the legal system, and she began to question how it is structured. She points out that something must be fundamentally wrong when victims are often suspected and perceived as liars. Miller also emphasizes that the law is shaped by a male gaze, something she wanted to highlight through Prima Facie. 

What does justice mean? 

The performance made me reflect on aspects of justice that I had never thought about before. I have always thought of the legal system as something neutral, a place where the truth comes out, and where everyone is treated equally. But after seeing this performance, I realize that it is not necessarily so. It made me realize how much of the legal system is built on structures and traditions that do not necessarily treat everyone fairly, especially victims of abuse. It is not just about what is true, but about what can be proven, how some words are interpreted, and who is believed. Tessa, who knows all the strategies and rules herself, already knows how it will go, and the fact that she still chooses to report made a strong impression. It made me understand how great a betrayal can feel, not only from individuals, but from the entire system that one has learned to trust. I left the theater with a lump in my stomach and many questions that I did not have before. What does justice really mean? And who is the system made for?

Maria Kristine Hildonen has already won the Hedda Award twice, most recently this year for best actress/leading role for her impressive performance as Tessa. And it was truly well deserved! She delivered a performance that was both shocking and engaging, and left me with a whole new understanding of the legal system and human dilemmas. Although I am not usually a fan of monologue performances, I have to admit that this was the best I have ever seen, and it has truly changed my view of the genre. The entire audience rose to their feet for a standing ovation that lasted at least five minutes after the performance. I can't help but give this performance a 6 on the dice, without a doubt the best I have ever seen.