23 October, 2007 | Leave a Comment

On Saturday I went to see The Enchantment at the Cottesloe Theatre (part of the National Theatre complex on the Southbank.) What a wonderful play! It ends its run next week, in case any of you in London can get a chance to see it.

The Enchantment was written in 1888 by Victoria Benedictsson, a very famous and celebrated Swedish author who seems to be virtually unknown in the English-speaking world. Apparently, she was the inspiration for Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Benedictsson based The Enchantment on the scandalous and ultimately tragic affair she had with the literary critic Georg Brandes. Shortly after completing the play, Benedictsson committed suicide by slitting her throat.

The play is about a young woman in her early thirties who moves to Paris and has a rough go of it. (Ahem.) The character Louise falls under the spell of a charismatic and extremely manipulative sculptor. The audience watches as he manipulates and controls her in a chilling way, yet no one can stop her from completely succumbing to her passion for him. Given the time during which this play was written, it was quite shocking. [See the links below for more info.]

I’ve never seen a play in the Cottesloe Theatre. It’s very tiny. The Enchantment was staged in the round. I was in the second row and I felt as if I was right on stage with the actors. Basically, I was. It’s a very intimate experience and the perfect place to see this play, a reclaimed feminist classic.

Links:

Germain Greer on Victorian Benedictsson in the Guardian.

Clare Bayley on Victoria Benedictsoon in the Independent.

Guardian theatre review.

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