Oslo: EW stage review
9 / 10
As we now know, that period was just a warm-up for the noise and chaos that followed, and Oslo has arrived at LCT's Broadway venue with its sense of urgency intact, if not heightened. Director Bartlett Sher, whose rigorous insights into history and human relationships have buoyed new works and revivals, has actors rearrange the pieces of Michael Yeargan's spare set as one scene flows into another, so that the production seems in constant, almost frantic, motion. Their characters pace and circle each other and raise their voices suddenly, lashing out or buckling under the strain of having to maintain their composure. Bits of dialogue teeter into speechifying here and there, but you'll barely notice; the balance of passion, discipline, and suspense is organically, thrillingly theatrical.
