A Madman's Confession portrays the developing passion of Swedish playwright August Strindberg (1849-1912) for a Baroness. The Baroness (Lucy Bruegger) announces her intention to try to earn an income from acting on the stage. To say the least, her husband the Baron (Justin Segal) isn't keen - it looks as if he will be dismissed from his commission in the army if she goes ahead. Enter the young Strindberg (Henry Blake) - the moment he and she start talking about art and literature, snogging - at some suitable point - is on the cards.

Strindberg, the Baron and the Baroness become friends. It seems they have a shared background in drama - the Baron runs the amateur dramatics group in his regiment - which brings them close. Through a number of quite short scenes, they all swear undying love for each other. That doesn't stop the Baron from having a lively interest in his young niece. The climax of the play comes when he asks his wife's permission to spend the night with her. That opens the dam for she and Strindberg to get together - but it doesn't, it seems, signal the end of her marriage. Perhaps Victorian Sweden was like this: class-ridden with a lot of repressed desire. And, for those who had the leisure and income, the chance to get involved in odd situations - probably justified by the cause of art. Elsa (Joyia Fitch) is the final character in this drama. She is the maid, and her role is largely to sit or stand adjacent to the action and smirk.

Lucy Bruegger (Baroness) stands out for two reasons. One, she has the best costume (by Fly Davis) - a dress and embroidered jacket which look suitably Victorian and uncomfortable. Two, she delivers her lines gracefully and sounds believable throughout. Director and writer Harriet Mann's script sounds as though it might have been pared down from a longer version. There are a few blind alleys - eg 'We are on the brink of ruin', the Baroness exclaims at one point, but that issue is never referred to again. But the idea of quick, short scenes works pretty well, even if the concentration on props does get a little fussy at times. Fly Davis's set falls into the trap of providing too much to imagine, and not enough to be convincingly detailed. Jacob Mason-Dixon's lighting and Edward Lewis's sound design - mainly to mark changes of scene - work very well. Overall, despite the slightly unsettling feeling that there might be more to say about these characters and their oddities, A Madman's Confession is an interesting production which packs a lot into sixty minutes.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Henry Blake – August Strindberg. Lucy Bruegger – Baroness. Joyia Fitch – Elsa. Justin Segal – Baron.

Company Credits: Writer - Harriett Mann. Director - Harriett Mann. Composer - Edward Lewis. Set Designer - Fly Davis. Costume Designer - Fly Davis. Lighting Designer - Jacob Mason-Dixon. Sound Designer - Edward Lewis. Technical Operator - uncredited. Stage Manager - Alexia Zenonos. Production Assistant – Mary Halton. Photographer - Fly Davis. Publicity – Victoria Bavister. Producer - Stephanie Shepherd. Company - Deadpan Productions.

END

(c) Michael Spring 2009

reviewed Thursday 17 December 09 / White Bear, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com