Press Reviews “The Eternal Smile”
“The two levels of acting provide the performance with a fascinating duplicity, culminating in a fantastic visualisation of the unexpectedly metaphysical end of Lagerkvist’s story, in which the dead who paradoxically are relatively happy with existence prior to and after death, rebel against the meaninglessness of life. (…) A thorough production in which the company uses different well-known theatrical expressions in going new routes to create a meaningful, metaphysical fable with wit.”
Larsen, IdaLou (22.11.2010). Review titled En metafysisk komedie (literally: A metaphysical comedy). IdaLou Larsen, idalou.no, 08.12.2010, http://www.idalou.no/pub/idalou/kritikker/?aid=1452#idalou
“Verk keeps the underlying unease in the text by Lagerkvist, but also promotes its humour. The artists break up the massive on our behalf and feed us with small bits of odd stories. With intense narrative voices and lifted eyebrows they show us how impossible the question posed by Lagerkvist is. The simple form suits the text and hopefully opens some new eyes to this recognised, but only to a little degree read, Nobel Literature Prize winner.”
Valberg, Anna Helene (19.11.2010). Review titled Her finnes ingen, og minst av alt Gud (literally: Here is nobody, and least of all God). Scenekunst, scenekunst.no, 08.12.2010, http://www2.scenekunst.no/egenkritikk_7749.nml
“For the first time The Eternal Smile is adapted for theatre. And that may have been the biggest surprise of the evening. During the performance associations lead to Strindberg, Dylan Thomas, Beckett and Fosse. In the staging by Verk it still is most natural to think about the most theatrical, high temperature side of Pirandello’s theatre. Which, of course, is due to the striking parallel between the dead souls of Lagerkvist and the six characters of Pirandello’s who are searching for a writer. Verk Produksjoner AKA Verk Productions has perfected its own style, but all the theatre references give a sense of repetition. In particular because it culminates in a Vegard Vinge-like case of running berserk. Yet the same it is an extraordinary charming performance.”
Bjørneboe, Therese (19.10.2010). Review titled Døde sjeler i titteskapet (literally: Dead souls in the rarity cabinet). Aftenposten [Oslo].