John Gabriel Borkman

It should surprise no one that a playwright as historically significant as Henrik Ibsen should have a few lesser known works hiding in the back catalogue. In the case of Ibsen, I’m talking about his penultimate play: John Gabriel Borkman (1896) may not be as instantly recognisable as, say, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler or Ghosts, so it is a rare treat to see it brought to life. Compared to his more famous works, is it as potent? Surprisingly, yes. But this production is certainly a different beast to the naturalism that dominates the Ibsen canon.

Using the original Victorian translation by William Archer, the play revolves around the rivalry of twin sisters Gunhild Borkman (Cory Corbett) and Ella Rentheim (Ezel Doruk), who vie for the affection of young Erhart Borkman (Will Freeman), Gunhild’s son. Throughout the play, Gunhild’s husband John Gabriel looms about upstairs, shut off from the world following disgrace after a prison sentence, his only visitors being pianist and trusted friend, Vilhelm Foldal (Russell Walsh).

Director Peter King, a long time theatrical innovator, pulls no punches on stylisation: an all male cast, machine gun dialogue, flourishes of The Addams Family influence and the blending of style, Butoh and theatre of cruelty into an explosive cocktail of ideas makes for a challenging and entertaining evening. While this will certainly alienate some audiences, King’s goal is to expose the core of Ibsen’s tragedy beyond the constraints of naturalism. This is not innovation for the sake of. King is an expressionist, and one of the best. In fact, it allows for humour in an otherwise merciless play, because it highlights the absurdities of human behaviour with more clarity. Some might argue that this violates the playwright’s intentions but I disagree. Humanity (and therefore tragedy), is full of absurdities and therefore brings us closer to Ibsen’s ultimate goal. Nevertheless, the key here is not to analyse but to experience – and what an experience.

This is a testing challenge for the actors, however most handle it exceedingly well, giving intriguing, energetic and tight performances. Cory Corbet and Russell Walsh, in particular, were standouts together with veteran actor Jim Daly as John Gabriel Borkman. Daly’s stunning stylistic performance was sublime.

Peter Corrigan’s effective design cocoons La Mama in layers of bubble wrap which, under Greg Carroll’s wonderful lighting, almost resembles that of an ice palace. It seems to suffocate these characters, reminding them they can never escape the frozen hell of family.

Let this production wash over you. It is a brilliant, visceral onslaught and puts any preconceived ideas of Ibsen under the jackhammer. The result is a focused, daring and intimate production that pushes every theatrical button. Without a doubt, the highlight of the 2013 Melbourne Fringe Festival.  

Rating: 5 stars out of 5