Woyzeck at the BAM
Boris Kalendariov
Woyzeck At BAM
From across the Atlantic, the joint effort of Vesturport and The Reykjavik City Theatre in Iceland brought its U.S. debut of Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Rising-star director Gísli Örn Gardarsson presented this adaptation of Büchner’s 1837 unfinished drama with the help of the stellar original music composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
Woyzeck is the story of a disturbed military barber, Franz Woyzeck, played by Ingvar E. Sigurdsson. Woyzeck falls for a widow, Marie (Nina Dogg Filippusdottir), who evidently has other men in her life, particularly the Drum Major (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson). Her infidelity along with the doctor’s experiments increases Woyzeck ever-mounting paranoia and hallucinations, which are vehemently portrayed throughout the play. (The doctor experiments on Woyzeck and treats him like a lab rat.)
By the end of the play Woyzeck was unable to deal with society’s immorality and wrong doings anymore, more specifically Marie’s infidelity. He evolves from being not only mentally imbalanced and emotionally disturbed but also a mad man and murderer. Ultimately, this mental disturbance leads to his demise.
Very noteworthy is the work of Börkur Jónsson as set designer and Gísli Örn Gardarsson directing. Both did a great job at keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. Jonsson was able to build different props, that fit perfectly with Garrdarsson interpretation. With these props, Gardarsson was able to marvelously maneuver the actors through the various thrilling stunts, allowing them to fly in and out at intervals and climb up and down the ropes.
The cast was robust with energy and paired well with the effects of the music and lights, creating many captivating scenes. They told jokes, danced frantically, and dressed in fascinating costumes. Not only were the costumes intriguing and designed brilliantly by Filippiá Elisdóttir but the set was also thought provoking. The set had a pool filled with water that enveloped part of the stage and a factory that was its foundation. This pool, more specifically the water in the pool, acted as a major theme for Gardarsson adaptation.
Although Gardarsson interpretation of Büchner’s Woyzeck was breathless and seductive it allowed for too much interpretation from the viewers part as it was a bit all over the place. Nonetheless, sometimes following a seemingly confusing make-your-own-interpretation of what is happening play can be an experience that does not come as often as one would like.
