JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN – REVIEW OF BRIDGE THEATRE, LONDON, PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas 

Narcissistic megalomaniacs have no doubt existed since time immemorial but there are so many around us now that it seems that there is a pandemic of them on top of COVID-19. They are obscenely rich, of course, but they want to be richer. They have power but they want more power with which to control everyone around them and beyond. Think of a few political figures such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin Jair Bolsonaro and the numerous tinpot dictators and you get a taste of them in the political sphere. In business, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bernie Madoff and Jeffrey Epstein, men who want(ed) to have the “most”, who want to be the “first” and when they reach those goals they want(ed) “more”. That is just a small sampling.

Henrik Ibsen took on greed and megalomania and its destructive effects in his 1896 play John Gabriel Borkman. Borkman’s megalomania is so overwhelming that it leaves no room for consideration of investors, people, friends, family and love. His relentless desire to acquire money and power endows him with moral and legal blindness that leads him to destroy everyone around him and in the end be convicted of fraud and imprisoned.  

 Simon Russell Beale and Lia Williams. Photo by Manuel Harlan. 

The production of John Gabriel Borkman at the Bridge Theatre in London in a new version by Lucinda Coxon is directed by Nicholas Hytner. It stars the great Simon Russell Beale, an actor who can exude the power and the tragedy of the megalomaniac and narcissistic Borkman with stupendous effect. His Borkman struts around the stage like an animal. He thinks he had a grand vision when in fact all he had was a delusion of wealth, power and control. Russell dominates the production even when he is not on stage. At the beginning we hear his footsteps as he paces back and forth in a room on the second floor of his house that, in its concrete austerity, resembles a prison or a castle. His hideous character is revealed as all his offenses are revealed including his greatest crime, the betrayal of his love.

There are two women in Borkman’s life, his wife Gunhild (Clare Higgins) and her sister Ella (Lia Williams). Both are victims of Borkman’s megalomania and narcissism. Higgins as Gunhild presents a woman full of hatred and bitterness but also a woman harboring an illusory dream of gaining the power and wealth that her husband lost through her son Erhart (Sebastian de Souza). An amazing performance by Higgins.        

Ella is tragic figure who was betrayed by Borkman as he committed the unforgivable crime of abandoning her love for power and money. She raised Borkman’s son and as she approaches death, she wants a monument to her decency by having Erhart take her name. Ella has her illusory dream as well 

Erhart wants nothing to do with his parents or his aunt. He wants to have fun in Rome and has his own illusions. He is leaving with an older and rich neighbour, Fanny Wilton (Ony Uhiara) and Frida (Daisy Ou) a young and ambitious pianist. The three seekers of happiness struck me as the basis of a play that Ibsen did not get around to write. But we know they are chasing a mirage and their illusions may be as bad as those of the other characters.

Vilhelm Foldal (Michael Simkins) is Frida’s father and a former friend of Borkman’s who lost everything and is discarded by his friend as if he were used chewing gum. He is dreaming of becoming a published writer and is perhaps the most sympathetic character in the play.

The set by Anna Fleischle represents the Borkmans’ house outside of Oslo. The furnishings of the house are sparse with the exception of a piano prominently displayed on the second floor. Frida plays the Dance of Death on it.

The production has a superb cast directed by one of the best directors in the business. The play is not one of Ibsen’s best and you can sketch the characters and their illusions almost schematically. But Hytner brings out the best of the play in a memorable evening at the theatre.   

John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen in a new version Lucinda Coxon continues until November 26, 2022 at the Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG, https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/

James Karas is the Senior Editor- Culture of The Greek Press. The review is published in the newspaper.