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The Review - THEATRE by NATALIE LI
Published: 14 February 2008

When tinseltown meets tortured art

STRINDBERG IN HOLLYWOOD
Pentameters

“WORDS are important” exclaims Strindberg countless times throughout this clever satire. But do words matter any more in modern day America, where film producers indulge in their own action movie versions to satisfy their selfish values?
The 19th century Swedish playwright Strindberg and his wife are thrown full throttle into 21st century Hollywood, running into the ridiculous caricature and underhand film producer, Otis De Marko. No explanation as to how they arrived is given, but it hardly seems to be relevant.
Strindberg (Harry Meacher) is every inch the tortured artist, pacing the stage absorbed in his work Dance of Death (incidentally the last play Meacher and Pentameters performed together a couple of months ago). Into this contemplative study of suffering De Marko intends to cast his blonde bimbo girlfriend, Micki, as the leading lady, alongside hard and fast action scenes starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Battling De Marko’s ludicrous plans to turn his play into a farce, Strindberg’s increasing disapproval of the proposed alterations takes its twist at the end of this hour-long episode of conflict between old and new.
Director Harry Meacher, who also plays the protagonist in question, has successfully conveyed his own dance of death within his adaptation of Drury Pifer’s play. His conviction as the farcical Strindberg is everything you would imagine the Swedish writer to be: headstrong, unruly and neurotic.
The witty and intriguing dialogue keeps this short play running on full steam although a deeper exploration of the intricacies of each individual is never truly explored.
Until February 24
020 7435 3648

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