Ghosts

In the program of Black Box Teater Ghosts by Vegard Vinge/Ida Müller was presented as follows:

"The rumours about an unusual theatre production spread at record speed after the opening of Vegard Vinge's bloody interpretation of A Doll's House at The Theatre of Cruelty last autumn. As an off-off-event to The Ibsen Festival he and stage designer Ida Müller staged an uncompromising and to many disturbing comtemporary version of Ibsen's drama in a mix of theatre, opera, splatter movie, visual arts, performance and puppetry. The majority of the audience sat baffled, surprised - and exhausted.

Accoring to Vinge/Müller the saga continues this autumn with part 2. Now Ghosts is what is dealt with. The connotations go to everything from Ivo Caprino, Tati and Hong Kong action on the movie side, to Bosch, Paul McCarthy and pop art on the side of visual arts. In addition we are exposed to an eclectic outburst of theatre references such as masks, Gran Guignol, Artaud, Noh theatre, Forman, Schlingensief, Fabre and Robert Wilson"

The artists said the following in the program of Black Box Teater:

"Through a genre-crossing berserk race Osvald Alving stages his ongoing dissolution as a Syphilitic Gesamtkunstwerk. With Nietzschean megalomania the artist untangles the bandage of the canonised work he is personally chained to, revealing the open wounds in a search of the stinking sewage underneath the stage floor. Illness and avoidance as salvation in the intersection between child-like genius and forcible inheritance. The ragnarok of Ibsen. A ritual and Odyssean journey towards the sun and the final liberation."'

Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller won The Norwegian Critics' Award (theatre) 2007/2008 for their Ghosts.

During the speeches held by Elin Høyland and Therese Bjørneboe at the awards ceremony the following, among other things, was said:

Høyland: "It is a joy to see this year's award go to Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller for Ghosts. It is a joy that this production not just confirms that the A Doll's House revolution was far more than a lucky moment, but also that here we are witnessing an artistic integrity and a distinct aesthetic character, both of which are rare goods - in particular within the Norwegian theatre scene."

Bjørneboe: "Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller's Ibsen productions have been declared as off-off-off The Ibsen Festival productions. One may interpret this however one likes. I am not so sure that the Norwegian theatre institutions find their performance expression so strange - any longer. But on the other hand I would like to underline that Vinge and Müller have a lot to add to the field of so-called independent or alternative performing arts in Norway. Among other things because they contribute to increased interest for staging the classics, and working with text."

Read the speeches in full at the webpage of Norwegian Critics' Association (link in Norwegian only).

Sources:

Performance program, Black Box Teater

Norwegian Critics' Association, kritikerlaget.no, 29.09.2011, http://www.kritikerlaget.no/pages/nor/355-teaterkritikerprisen_20072008_til_vegard_vinge_og_ida_mller

Alnæs, Jørgen (17.09.2007). Review titled Vital og kjedsommelig (literally: Vital and boring). Dagsavisen, dagsavisen.no, 16.11.2010,

http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/article315016.ece:

"In some scenes the expression of theatre is discussed. 'Norwegian theatre people have no ideals', we get to know. It is hard to say whether this is irony over the rebellion of their own or just bragging. Such meta comments are always problematic, because they so easily over-explain the performance. That happens here. A bit later one of the characters tell us that style is not so important, the important is that a production emphasises a new side of Ibsen. Now there is little pointing in the direction of irony. The next hours are dedicated to a study of the last stage of syphilis. Osvald has become a crazy performance artist running around the stage, directing the rest of the production, crucifying Pastor Manders and making a mess of 'feces' and 'blood'. But it seems empty, the music is recycled, the ideas seems to be less considered and are not very interesting."

Leinslie, Elisabeth (18.09.2007). Review titled Menneskets og kulturens forfall (literally: The decline of human and culture). Scenekunst, scenekunst.no, 16.11.2020,

http://www2.scenekunst.no/artikkel_3894.nml:

"Ibsen probably enjoys himself, but do we? No, this can't be called enjoyment. It is perversely fun, it is interesting, it is sickening, it is annoying, it is fun, it is embarrassing, it is genius, it is long, it is much - but it is far from nice. Possibly this is such a complete overload of a production it has people turn around and leave in the door. Let us hope not, for either you like this work or not, it reeks of manifestos, will and distinct character. The references to avant garde traditions are strong, and it almost strangles itself in a scream after a theatre revolution."

Prestøy Lie, Miriam (20.09.2010). Review titled Livsglede i antibiotikaens tid (literally: Joy of life in the time of antibiotics). Kunstkritikk, kunstkritikk.no, 16.11.2010,

http://www.kunstkritikk.no/kritikk/livsglede-i-antibiotikaens-tid/:

"The help-I-had-to-join-the-performance mentality is so strongly present that several minutes pass by before a brave critic (not me, no), helps him up. We are not trained for this kind of spontaneous expressions of joy of life in the theatre. We are used to opening our boxes of pastilles in silence on the sly. It seems that the production's ideal relationship between audience and performers is an orgy, while what it really gets are scared glances. Anyway: We are now contagious, it will hopefully spread eventually and turn out as purely cultivated, distinct, personal, visionary, theatrical and daredevil forms and expressions of love to art, and other madness."