Last night I finally got around to seeing Svartediket at Den Nationale Scene.
The play focuses on Svartediket, a lake which is still the main source of drinking water for the citizens of Bergen. The lake is said to have been a popular spot for getting rid of unwanted babies, dumping the bodies of murdered/executed people and committing suicide in the late 1700s, and when over 1000 people became sick in 2006 because of the water they were drinking, the local authorities desperately tried to cover up the fact that the bacteria responsible for the illness was caused by decaying corpses. The idea that the citizens of Bergen have for a long time been ‘drinking the dead’ was the main inspiration behind the play.
Svartediket
It was a fantastic production, and very interesting indeed, and I would strongly recommend seeing it (to anyone who understands Norwegian).
Sigurd Sele as Deinar Deinaren
Stian Isaksen as Massken
The play first came to my attention some months ago, I will admit, because a musician I like was cast. Kristian Espedal (a.k.a. Gaahl, of Gorgoroth, Trelldom and Wardruna fame) played the role of the Norse God Heimdall. However, if there was a weak point in the play, it was probably him. I can understand that in playing a Norse God one might want to convey a sense of dignity and appear somewhat restrained, but if he’d been much stiffer he’d have fallen over backwards.
Gaahl as Heimdall
Den Nationale Scene, where the play is currently being performed
Nice to hear you enjoyed the play. I've seen it myself as well, a couple of times. Especially the strange character Massken caught my attention. What did you think of him?
SvarSlettAlso, good to see I'm not the only one who's holding back on the worshipping concerning Gaahl's performance.
hei :) sorry i didn't write back quickly, i've been mulling things over
SvarSlettwent to see it again tonight, to tidy up some loose ends (sometimes you get a different perspective a second time, that and i forgot my glasses last time - being able to see their faces properly definately helped!)
you're right - Massken is verrrry interesting. i need to think about it a bit more (not very good at deciding what i think of things) but i actually got really choked up a couple of times when i was watching him. there's something excruciatingly sad about him. it's really an excellent performance...