How do you pick a play which you’d like to see? Do you read reviews, ask your intellectual friends for a piece of advice or … trust your gut? The last option applies to me, and the one thing I can say – I’ve never been disappointed (well, yet).
The last theatrical adventure I was a part of is called Obsession (from 19 April to 20 May at the Barbican) directed by Ivo van Howe. A play, where one of the lead roles (to be precise – a seductive vagabond Gino) is played by none other than Jude Law (The Young Pope, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Talented Mr Ripley, etc.), accompanied by a talented cast from the Netherlands. Law’s love interest Hana is played by Halina Reijn, while the role of a very jealous Hana’s husband is played by Gijs Scholten van Aschat.
The cast by Jan Versweyveld
A play that was inspired by Luchino Visconti movie is an intense and deep tale of an obsessive, destructive love. Modern and provocative, spiced up by artsy sex scenes (no, it’s not heading to 50 Shades Of Grey direction), though sometimes not easy to follow because of quite a few things happening on stage simultaneously. However, the storyline manages to capture your attention as Steijn, Law and Scholten van Aschat build suspense to its highest level, questioning the meaning of love, loyalty and selfishness.
Jude Law and Halina Steijn by Jan Versweyveld
I must admit that I was curious to see Law on stage. A raw and vulnerable version of one of the leading Hollywood men not surrounded by visual effects, eye-watering sets and tiresome editing process. On a stage where you can’t take a break of five or leave space for any mistakes and re-shoot the scene. And Law did justice to his seductive, but deeply troubled character, probably giving an answer to a question why Hollywood keeps coming back to theatre productions where the live audience-infused experience brings every artist back to his roots.
50/50 