BWW Previews: AN INTERVENTION (INGRIPANDET) at Riksteatern

Preview of An Intervention (Ingripandet) 5th of March 2019

The intervention (Ingripandet) is a drama comedy written by Mike Bartlett, who also wrote the play Bull which recently was played at Stadsteatern.

The intervention is about two friends who got to know each other in adulthood. One of them likes to label the friendship as "best friends" but the other is more reluctant and states he has several close friends. He has recently met his girlfriend which is not appreciated by his friend. Their political views is also starting to divide them. One of them has tendencies to drink too much and the friend is a little worried that he is becoming an alcoholic. All in all these different point of views and where they are in their lives is putting their friendship to a test. How do you handle the fact that you suddenly stand on different sides politically? What do you do when your friend starts to have problems with the alcohol? How do you manage that the friend has less time to spent time with you as he now priorities time with his girlfriend? A girlfriend you to do not like at all.

Depending which perspective you have when you look at the play you will enjoy it in different ways or maybe not even like it at all. The guys can be perceived as pathetic and that friendship is a friendship in the lack of something better and when you find something better you let it go. Or it is an honest friendship that is so strong that it survives different tests, a friend you can count on no matter what. Regardless, it is a friendship that is not completely balanced between the two friends. I think many people can recognize events in the play as something they have experienced themselves or seen other friends go through. The play is written in such a way that the roles can be played by any gender or age. In the original in London the roles were played by a woman and a man. The dynamics of friendship will be different depending on whether it is the same gender or different. But the conflicts in a friendship can probably arise regardless of gender or age and can therefore be interesting for everyone to see.

The friends are played by Per Burell and Pelle Grytt and the director is Victor Molino Sanchez. Per and Pelle succeed well in showing the complexity in their friendship. Per Burells character is more superior and cool while Pelle Gryttt's character plays out his entire emotional record. He really wear his emotion on his sleeves.

This was a preview of the play so it is still work in progress. The scene design consisted of little furniture, a plastic box with spirits and wine bottles and a frame that marked the rooms. Specially in a scene when they were in a gallery it was used to separate the friends when one of them got tired of the other. A very simple way to make a point. It was pretty strong neon light on the frame which sometimes blinded the audience. The shifting of the frame was a sometimes a bit too slow which I think they need to improve in order to not lose momentum in the play.

An intervention is premiered on March 10 in Vadstena and will then go on a Swedish tour.

Photo @Sören Vilks