The Enchantment NYC Reviews and Tickets

76%

(30 Reviews)

Positive

77%

Mixed

23%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Ambitious, Entertaining

About the Show

Ducdame Ensemble presents the North American premiere of this Scandinavian work: a semi-autobiographical play written by the real 19th-century woman who inspired both 'Hedda Gabler' and 'Miss Julie.'

Louise, a young woman from rural Sweden, arrives in Paris at the height of the Belle Epoque. Swept up in all this magical world has to offer, she soon falls under the spell of the city’s most revered sculptor. Torn between liberation and tradition, fantasy and reality, Louise begins to question whether the life she has always known is really the one she wants to live,

Member Reviews (30)

Ambitious, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if You enjoy neglected classic performed in small theater with simple staging. Some strong acting (2 main characters, Louise & Viggo)

Don't see it if You can't appreciate low budget, unpolished productions

Absorbing, Funny, Great acting

See it if You wanna see a well acted ensemble piece where people talk about love a lot.

Don't see it if You get distracted by Canadian accents.

Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if you have an interest in 19th century drama and female playwrights.

Don't see it if you are put off by the slow pace and uneven acting. Read more

Great acting, Period drama

See it if You like period dramas about changing times and cultures

Don't see it if You dislike period dramas stories about women's oppression in society

Absorbing, Resonant, Thought-provoking, Great acting

See it if you want to see a brilliant, beautifully acted play. The text and the back-story are interesting. Production is spellbinding, provocative

Don't see it if you are not interested in though-provoking drama in the vein of Hedda Gabler

Enchanting, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if You like great acting and a story based on a real event.

Don't see it if You abhor tragedy

Great acting, Absorbing, Intelligent, Intense, Thought-provoking

See it if You like Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg and 19th Century drama; also interesting, undiscovered, classic works. And really terrific acting!

Don't see it if You do not like 19th Century drama. Read more

Intense

See it if you like classic Scandinavian plays

Don't see it if you prefer more depth in characters and dialog. However, the Village Voice review was unfair to male cast members of the show - Read more

Critic Reviews (7)

“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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