Produced by: Robert Greer with the cooperation of Theater Resources Unlimited.
Words of Praise for Mr. Bengt’s Wife
“A Strindberg Rarity—Mr. Bengt’s Wife--An Answer to Ibsen’s A Doll’s House”
“Mr. Bengt’s Wife, in its American premiere (translated by Malin Tybåhl and Laurence Carr) treated me to an insightful view of a master in his early development. A no-holes-barred tale of hysteria, gender expectations and personal redemption, it is a mirror opposite of the mature and organized Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The play is still ground-breaking, one of the true classics of progressive theatre.
Mr. Bengt’s Wife is a delirious collection of scenes boasting a lyricism approaching madness, with a heightened Shakespearian influence running through its modern language. Bengt is a transitional piece, like one of a great composer finding his voice. And it is a glorious voice he is crafting.
The work is deeply emotional—ultimately leading toward a human conclusion. It has a stylized, episodic element to it, almost dream-like. Directed by Craig Baldwin, the piece was allowed to breathe, but always moved forward in its action. Kersti Bryan, well suited to the demanding role of Margit, never missed a beat, transforming herself from the high-flying, overly optimistic girl to the bitter and unforgiving wife and then back again, prompting us to ask if she is dangerously unstable or merely a multifaceted woman."
Melody Breyer-Grell, The Huffington Post, 9/19/13 Full review
“The August Strindberg Repertory Theatre digs deep into the Swedish misanthrope’s trunk of obscurities to unearth this 1882 tale of a woman determined to shake the yoke of convention.”
From the “Good Odds” column, Time Out New York, September 26-October 2, 2013.
“A Strindberg Rarity—Mr. Bengt’s Wife--An Answer to Ibsen’s A Doll’s House”
“Mr. Bengt’s Wife, in its American premiere (translated by Malin Tybåhl and Laurence Carr) treated me to an insightful view of a master in his early development. A no-holes-barred tale of hysteria, gender expectations and personal redemption, it is a mirror opposite of the mature and organized Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The play is still ground-breaking, one of the true classics of progressive theatre.
Mr. Bengt’s Wife is a delirious collection of scenes boasting a lyricism approaching madness, with a heightened Shakespearian influence running through its modern language. Bengt is a transitional piece, like one of a great composer finding his voice. And it is a glorious voice he is crafting.
The work is deeply emotional—ultimately leading toward a human conclusion. It has a stylized, episodic element to it, almost dream-like. Directed by Craig Baldwin, the piece was allowed to breathe, but always moved forward in its action. Kersti Bryan, well suited to the demanding role of Margit, never missed a beat, transforming herself from the high-flying, overly optimistic girl to the bitter and unforgiving wife and then back again, prompting us to ask if she is dangerously unstable or merely a multifaceted woman."
Melody Breyer-Grell, The Huffington Post, 9/19/13 Full review
“The August Strindberg Repertory Theatre digs deep into the Swedish misanthrope’s trunk of obscurities to unearth this 1882 tale of a woman determined to shake the yoke of convention.”
From the “Good Odds” column, Time Out New York, September 26-October 2, 2013.
"A new translation by Laurence Carr and Malin Tybahl makes this undiscovered masterpiece accessible to modern American audiences. It has never before been translated into English and has been performed only five times previously: in Stockholm in 1882, Cologne in 1908, Vienna in 1914 (the Austrian Church demanded that it close after two performances), Berlin in 1920 and most recently, in Stockholm in 1971. The Strindbergian theme of marriage as an emotional battleground is strongly stated and there are absurdist elements foreshadowing such Strindbergian signature works as "The Dream Play." Broadway World
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