Eryn Jean Norvill in Melancholia. Photo by Pia Johnson.
Much like the original film, the 2018 production adapted by Declan Greene and Directed by Matthew Lutton is not easily defined by one genre. Rather, Melancholia is a gallery showcasing a variety of styles . Romanticism, science-fiction, ‘psychological chamber-drama,’ apocalyptic, dark comedy, are all styles which apply to this production.
It is a work of art which if nothing else provokes discussion. There is plenty to interpret and question after the show has finished – both in terms of what the audience experiences in the theatre and what your own responses would be to issues raised such as dealing with family, mental illness, and even the end of the world.
The production is caught between epic and intimate. It mimics the epic scale of the movie through its use of space, music, and sound, but also engages a small cast and minimal set and props. The minimalistic style makes the audience question the significance of the items which have been selected. How can an entire expensive wedding in Act 1 be represented by a chandelier, a champagne bottle, a microphone and three chairs – but in Act 2 an Aunt cooking pancakes for her nephew requires all the equipment and ingredients to make them live on stage?
(L-R) Steve Mouzakis, Leeanna Walsman , Eryn Jean Norvill , Gareth Yuen, Maude Davey in Melancholia. Photo by Pia Johnson.
Perhaps it is due to the shift in tone and focus between the two acts. While Act 1 focuses on Justine (Eryn Jean Norvill) unravelling, her descent into her illness is disguised by the artifice of the wedding and therefore is represented by the empty objects of wealth and a more light-hearted tone. As Melancholia moves into Act 2 the emphasis is on Claire (Leeanna Walsman) as her fears about the end of the world develop. As the subject matter of Act 2 becomes more fantastical the world around it becomes more realistic and the tone more sombre.
As large scale visual imagery from the film cannot be translated directly to the stage adaptation – monologues and narration allow the audience to experience what the characters see and feel. Certain scenes are intentionally long and drawn out to reflect the nature of time for those dealing with depression, but if overused the audience can lose interest. One effective recurring visual image of this production is the confetti falling slowly through a large hole in the roof onto the actors below. It creates some incredibly beautiful and magic moments – but as is the nature of confetti there is always an errant piece or two. The beauty of the scenes it creates in Melancholia is worth the risk of the audience being distracted by it in other scenes.
Leanna Walsman and Eryn Jean Norvill in Melancholia. Photo by Pia Johnson.
The cast of six give great and believable performances, but there is something about each character which distances them from the audience. Not being able to connect with the characters makes it difficult to care what happens to any of them. Playing mother and daughters, Maude Davey, Eryn Jean Norvill, and Leeanna Walsman, give particularly strong performances of increasingly weakened women.
There are moments of humour and beauty and honesty throughout this production, but are there enough of these moments overall to connect into a solid piece of theatre? In deciding to create a piece of theatre from this difficult film Greene and Lutton have achieved something admirable in which there is a lot of potential for future development and subsequent productions. Malthouse Theatre’s Melancholia is like the planet Melancholia itself, on its first attempt it gets very close and shakes things up a bit, but if you give it some time when it comes back for round two you just know it is going to have a much bigger impact.
Rating: 3 Stars ★★★
MELANCHOLIA
BY / Lars von Trier
ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY / Declan Greene
DIRECTION / Matthew Lutton
CAST / Alexander Artemov, Maude Davey, Steve Mouzakis, Eryn Jean Norvill, Liam Smith, Leeanna Walsman, Gareth Yuen
SET & COSTUME DESIGN / Marg Horwell
LIGHTING DESIGN / Paul Jackson
SOUND DESIGN & COMPOSITION / J. David Franzke
13 July – August 12, 2018
Merlyn Theatre, Malthouse
*Some scenes in this production make reference to mental illness, self-harm and suicide.
