“Unfortunately, the play is not nearly as riveting as its backstory…The production moves briskly under Lucy Jane Atkinson's unfussy direction, and Lexen's translation and adaptation is generally economic and clear…The play's brevity may ultimately be its drawback since it does not have time to sufficiently develop character relationships. As a result, ‘The Enchantment’ lacks both sensual sparks and intellectual fire…The eight actors comprising the cast are all quite likable.”
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"Intriguing and unevenly, though amiably, presented...Lexen’s stiff translation and choppy adaptation is not very satisfying...Mongillo’s very fine central performance as Louise aids the production...Atkinson’s staging in the contained and cluttered space is proficient but lacking in ingenuity. The actors at times appear trapped by the furniture...The performances are chiefly dutiful rather than riveting...The production does have merit as a curio."
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"Brings attention to the danger of obsession yet only scratches the surface of the problematic gender roles from a bygone era...The different stereotyped gender roles of men and women are constantly repeated and reinforced in the play, however not in a way that serves as commentary...The themes of the play are too dated to feel relatable...The production is well staged and is performed by a team of committed actors."
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"Lexen’s translation/adaptation of the neglected classic is as engaging as it is historically faithful, letting the play’s enduring relevance speak for itself...The versatile ensemble has no weak links...They bring fresh emotion to Benedictsson’s text, despite some of its dated dialogue structures...Louise’s struggle with temptation feels ironic to watch today, where no-strings-attached flings are as commonplace as they were scandalous in Bendedictsson’s day."
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"The production is not, ultimately, bewitching. Its pleasures are mainly intellectual...The show feels rigid, and the actors pirouette on their marks like dolls on a music box. There’s also a serious imbalance in the cast...Ironically, in a piece about the female gaze, the men seem to have been chosen for their beauty alone — it might be a power reversal, but it’s not quite the one we’re looking for."
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"The tension between health and illness, love and loss, life and death for Louise is palpable...One male role, Lind, is played by a woman (Ariana Karp) who is a pleasantly aggressive and duplicitous colleague of Gustave. I think the point that the director is trying to make is that for foreign artists in Paris Art City, male privilege was all they had; but on the other hand, this is not a total denunciation of men or love, but a nuanced tightrope walk."
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"A play with dated sensibilities must be extremely well acted to accurately emulate an earlier mind set. Alas, this one is not...Only Herbig’s natural Viggo and Mongillo’s desperate Louise deserve callouts...Audience on three sides behooves a director not to stage lengthy speeches with characters’ backs turned. Atkinson is apparently unaware of this. As the set designer supplies no props, the company finds itself without stage business to hold attention, add realism, or illuminate the unspoken."
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