Now Available as an eBook
Mr. Bengt’s Wife by August Strindberg in its first English translation by Malin Tybåhl and Laurence Carr
For more information contact Laurence Carr: larrycarr521@gmail.com
Published by Lightwood Press and available as an eBook on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook) and other streaming services.
Mr. Bengt’s Wife by August Strindberg: A Synopsis
Mr. Bengt’s Wife is August Strindberg’s rebuttal to Henrik Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House, interweaving scenes of realism and dreamscape into a powerful dramatic work from one of the masters of modernism.
The play is the passionate story of Margit, an orphan and rebellious novice who breaks her convent vows to marry her “Knight”, Lord Bengt, a wealthy landowner. Her husband’s fortunes soon dwindle, and she seeks her freedom from her approaching poverty. As her marriage dissolves. she is hotly pursued by the convent Priest, and a childhood friend who is now the Bailiff of the town. Her love/hate relationship with Bengt also continues, adding to Margit’s personal revolution with 19th century society’s view of women and the emerging feminist movement. Seeking to end her life, Margit finds herself a “new woman”, who will engage with men, women and society on her own terms.
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Words of Praise for Mr. Bengt’s Wife
“A Strindberg Rarity—Mr. Bengt’s Wife—An Answer to Ibsen’s A Doll’s House”
“Mr. Bengt’s Wife, in its American premiere (translated by Malin Tybåhl and Laurence Carr) treated me to an insightful view of a master in his early development. A no-holes-barred tale of hysteria, gender expectations and personal redemption, it is a mirror opposite of the mature and organized Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The play is still ground-breaking, one of the true classics of progressive theatre.
Mr. Bengt’s Wife is a delirious collection of scenes boasting a lyricism approaching madness, with a heightened Shakespearian influence running through its modern language. Bengt is a transitional piece, like one of a great composer finding his voice. And it is a glorious voice he is crafting.
The work is deeply emotional—ultimately leading toward a human conclusion. It has a stylized, episodic element to it, almost dream-like. Directed by Craig Baldwin, the piece was allowed to breathe, but always moved forward in its action. Kersti Bryan, well suited to the demanding role of Margit, never missed a beat, transforming herself from the high-flying, overly optimistic girl to the bitter and unforgiving wife and then back again, prompting us to ask if she is dangerously unstable or merely a multifaceted woman.
Melody Breyer-Grell, The Huffington Post, 9/19/13
The full review is available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melody-breyergrell/strindberg-rarity or by searching in Huffington Post Entertainment and entering Mr. Bengt’s Wife Review.
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“The August Strindberg Repertory Theatre digs deep into the Swedish misanthrope’s trunk of obscurities to unearth this 1882 tale of a woman determined to shake the yoke of convention.”
From the “Good Odds” column, Time Out New York, September 26-October 2, 2013.
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The NYC Production: Mr. Bengt’s Wife by August Strindberg /// Producer: Robert Greer, Artistic Director, The August Strindberg Repertory Theatre, the resident company at the Gene Frankle Theatre in cooperation with Theatre Resources Unlimited./// Gail Thacker, Managing Director
Craig Baldwin, Director
The New York City cast ncluded:
Samm Todd Meta, Kerstin, and The Witness
Kerstie Brian* Margit
Vicki Blankenship The Abbess and The Chief Judge’s Wife
Matt Hurley* The Confessor
Eric Percival Mr. Bengt
Shawn Fagan* The Bailiff
* actors appearing through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
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Lightwood 