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Brilliant Juni Dahr with Ibsen in Vilnius


Juni Dahr in Ibsens Women. Foto: Joanna Butler

WONDERFUL JUNI DAHR

VILNIUS:   The brilliant Norwegian actress Juni Dahr impressed and enchanted a completely full small stage at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in Vilnius with her one woman performance IBSEN WOMEN – “Put an eagle in a case”. With music by Chris Poole. Costumes by Inger Derlic and Juni Dahr. 

Review by Henning Høholt

In her performance Juni Dahr approach the world famous Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), who has created a handful of the most demanding and powerful female roles in the history of world drama. Female roles who are still 100% actual to day. In her play Juni Dahr are introducing the roles and binding them together so we have a feeling of nearness to them. She is starting with intrucing the wellknown  history about the famouse actress Eleonora Duse who went to Oslo to hope to meet Mr. Ibsen, and she was waiting outside his home at the corner of Arbiens Gate and then Drammensveien, an Oslo main road, who have now changed name to Henrik Ibsens gate, where a close neighboor across the street inside the parc is the Royal Castle
.

When you have passed this flat in the second floor on several occassions, as it is now a part of the National Folk Museum at Bygdøy, but in the beginning it was the famouse Ibsen actor at the National Theatre, Knut Wigert who many years ago took the initiative, and fighted for that Henrik Ibsens flat should be keept as a Museum. And he succeded with that.

Therefore tourists from all corners of the world can visit the large flat where Henrik Ibsen was living together with his wife Suzannah the last many years of his life, and where he died May 23. 1906. In the entrance part there is a small souvenir shop, and outside Henrik Ibsen sitting waiting sculptured by Nina Sundbye.

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)

HILDE

In her demanding performance Juni Dahr presents the following six female personalityes Hilde from “The Master Builder” –  the original titel in Norwegian is “Byggmester Solness” from 1892
. Hilde´s name means “fighter”
. It ecchoes the name of a Valkyrie in Norse mythology a maiden goddess of battle who chooses the slain heroes for Valhalla. – In Hildes stagnant and compromised life of Solnes, an accomplished builder, who is no longer the bold architect of his own life. Hilde abruptly enters. She demands the visionary promise Solness had instilled ten years earlier and challenged him to attempt the impossible once again. The triumph, not the death transfies Hilde, who withesses the heroic vision fulfilled. 

HEDDA and Mrs. ALVING

Then the play continues to Hedda the titelrole in “Hedda Gabler” from 1890. Having entered in to a marriag of convenience, Hedda finds herself caged in. Her six-month turned out to be George TEsman´s research trip and doctoral defense. Now back, Hedda means to do things her own way
. It all turns out to be inextricably linked with destruction and death, Hedda´s. All these roles being presented are deliciously linked together with the wellformed sounds from Chris Poole´s flute and voice, who is following uo the sadness, the happyness in the female figures tha Juni Dahr plays, and also forming the atmosphaeri surroundings like feeling of ghosts, in Mrs Alving from “Ghosts” -“Gengangere” from 1881, and the sea in “The Lady from the Sea – “Fruen fra Havet” from 1888.

Juni Dahr as Nora in A Doll House, foto Joanna Butler

NORA

Between these two we are getting an importent meeting with the famouse history of Nora from “A Doll House” – “Et dukkehjem” from 1879, about Nora and her husband Torvald Helmer, who surely have the “perfect marriage”, he is becoming successful, she is beautiful, they have three lovely young children, and they take great pleasure in each other. Through eight years of tight monetary circumstances they have worked hard – he as family provider, she as mother and homemaker. But problems appear. A letter about a loan that Nora has taken, comes up in the daylight. She needs that Helmer shall not open the mailbox to see the letter, and she uses her frantic tarantella, that she has promissed to dance at their forecoming holiday costumeball. Nora claims from Torvald his promise of complete attention to her until after the mascarade ball. – Nora realizes that she in their socalled “perfect marriage” has been a bird in a gilded cage, as she has been for her mother, when she was a child. Now she must free herself from it and leave to become a full adult human being, and she leaves. The history dont telle anything about where she went.

ELLINDA

Then comes Ellida from “The Lady from the Sea” . Again, as often with Henrik Ibsen it is about a woman who in one or another way looks for their own freedom. And Ellida choose in full freedom, as an autnomous adult. That action defines a love that changes Ellida´s whole world.

Juni Dahr is being congratulated after the performance by the Norwegian ambassador Leif Arne Ulland, foto Henning Høholt

HJØRDIS

It all finishes with one of Henrik Ibsens early dramatic actresses Hjørdis from “The Vikings at Helgeland” – “Hærmændene på Helgeland” from 1858. In that Hjørdis is a character drawn from the old Viking myths and sagas. She has the fierce independence of the valkyrie warrior. In this importent part it is ameeting ethween Hjørdis and Dagny, that she has been raised up as a sister of. She too feels caged by her husband Gunnar. Which has got help from his blood brother Sigurd to win towards the ferocious white bear guarding her door.

And with this famouse scene where Hjørdis speaks clearly to Dagny the performance IBSEN WOMEN – “Put an eagle in a case” has come to an end. We all feel richer, and that we have had a fantastic evening in good company with Juni Dahr and six completly different womens, intelligently and musically framed by Chris Poole´s music.

ibsen i arbeidsværelset Foto L
. Szacinsky

 

 

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