Forget the mind and ease to the heart, this play invites us to dream of light and darkness - Surreal. Contemplative. Ominous.  Those words capture the essence of Tower Theatre's modern interpretation of A Dream Play. Originally conceived by the prolific Swedish playwright, essayist and writer August Strindberg in 1901, and then translated to the English language by the equally talented British playwright Caryl Churchill in 2005, the production tells the timeless and philosophical discoveries of Agnes - played by both Minjeong Kim and Fionna Monk at the same time, serving as a dual role for dramatic effect - a Goddess dressed in a white nightdress that descends to Earth to find out about the meaning of life, human existence and the reasons behind why joy, suffering, love and many more experiences exist, all happening as a sequence of fantasies, where Agnes is the guide and the audience is the witness.
 At first glance, the empty space (aside from a hanging door and a small alley) evoke a simple play, but A Dreams Play is anything but simple. During Angelika Michitsch's production - who served as both the director and set designer for this reimagining - our imaginations are transported to locations as varied as the docks, a cave, a rural house and many more, with the power of Ruth Sullivan's varied and calm sound landscapes such as seagulls, the sea, and echoes. Alex Kampmann's dynamic and colourful lighting changes, exploring mood with strokes of blue, red, orange crafting different scenarios; Roxanne Ivy Roberts's detailed costume design, to dress and distinguish key characters like the bishop, the nurse, and more; and a wonderful, diverse cast consisting of 14 actors playing 40 characters. In each scenario, new and old figures appear, alongside a string of conflicts exposing humanity's dilemmas, making Agnes' quest to find answers that aren't ever clear or satisfying all the more frustrating, and confusing. There is particularly one sequence that talks about this, where two men are arguing about the importance or significance of logic, stating in the end that logic is ironically illogical. With that statement, the narrative is asking us to forget about what our mind wants, offering instead surrender to our hearts and senses' desires. Strindberg's work is usually surreal, so it makes sense that the narrative in question has deep inquiries as its anchor, instead of a traditional three-act structure, although you can find some connective tissues in between the scenes, just like you would in some dreams.
 There is the Solicitor (Dominic Reed), for instance, a well-groomed, decent gentleman who agrees to marry and have children with Agnes, only for her to discover that love wears out after a while and life can get so boring by repetition. There is also the Writer/Father, who has a significant conversation with Agnes at the cave where she speaks about her preoccupations and both agree that life can sometimes be difficult yet meaningful because of its unpredictability. Another highlight is the small yet impactful role of Blind Woman (Rosanna Preston), a character elegant and generous but with a hazardous life all the same.
Despite mainly having pessimistic outcomes, sometimes exposed like dark comedy and others grimly, the profound script also touches upon the joys of dancing, true love, the solace of letting things go, and the comfort found in poetry.
 What it makes it work is not only the aforementioned variety of elements to please our senses, but Kim and Monk's performances as Agnes, revealing the accumulated pain of her journey, having a lasting effect.By the end, the characters burn the things they need to let go of on the bonfire that Agnes starts before she departs to the sky again, sending a message to her divine acquaintances that life on Earth has no transparent meaning, and you can't help but feel that life can feel as surreal as dreams themselves.
Photography by Pau Ros
|
