A must-see show for anyone interested in how our society works and is structured.
The Economist | Review
Thom Dibdin | The Stage
7 Aug, 2012
Must See
There’s a chill to MKA’s play based on the life of Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik, which is both respectful to his victims and thought provoking for those who still live in the world that allowed him to flourish.
Writer Tobias Manderson-Galvin tells this in a strong Australian voice – but with a white, beige and red colour scheme that nails itself firmly as Norwegian. He uses the writings of Breivik with various reports and interviews to fictionalise him to Andrew Berwick, changing the facts slightly in order to examine how Breivik’s actions fit in with the society from which he comes.
Director Van Badham has brought out a great ensemble performance, flashing back from an idyllic opening scene of the summer camp on Utoya Island on July 22, 2011, to find brutal realities of Norwegian life. Scenes from Berwick’s existence step from the ordinary to the fantastical, but are always clearly delineated with simple dexterity and the slightest of scenery and props. Onstage music underscores the mundane and helps pinpoint the dreadful.
While this is very much an ensemble piece, Zoey Dawson is utterly convincing as Berwick. Cross-casting her in the male role is a brilliant and defining decision which seems to be at once subversive and quite natural. A must-see show for anyone interested in how our society works and is structured.