Photo: Karim Romero
We’ve seen enough “behind closed doors” stories, fictional and not, to know that an IKEA-clad kitchen and bags of organic vegetables from Whole Foods do not a happy home make. The key, now, lies in telling these stories in increasingly interpretive ways to maintain the suspense and thrill of a couple with a secret.
In the North American premiere of British playwright Bryony Lavery’s Stockholm, on now at the Tarragon Extra Space (a coproduction between Seventh Stage Productions and Nightwood Theatre), Toronto audiences are allowed into a kitchen similar to the one described above, belonging to Todd (Jonathan Young) and Kali (Melissa-Jane Shaw). They are a young and affluent couple, who live, cook, and copulate in the home of their dreams, which they gutted and renovated together. It’s Todd’s birthday, they’ve gone to see an old movie, and have returned home to make a meal and drink champagne. They’re also planning an upcoming trip to Stockholm.
But cracks slowly start to form as Lavery’s script breaks from dialogue into third-person narration and monologues. An impromptu moment of intimacy sends Todd into a confused state of pleasure and fear, and Kali’s birthday surprise of two bottles of Veuve, Todd’s favourite, is shown in a split-second silhouette of Kali’s forbidden temptation. They dance around each other and Lindsay C. Walker’s set, at first playfully in sync, then brutally cannibalistic, in movements impressively choreographed by Susie Burpee. Verne Good’s sound design and Kimberly Purtell’s lighting, both atmospheric, emphasize Lavery’s teasingly layered script. All of these elements are handled masterfully under the direction of Kelly Straughan, recently announced to take the reigns from Gideon Arthurs as Executive Director of the Toronto Fringe Festival.
It’s a thriller, but there’s emotion as well. It’s sexy, and funny. The dynamics are clear, but subtle. Kali is detestable, but sympathetic. Todd is a pushover, yet the backbone of the household. We’re horrified, but love every minute.
After that trip to Stockholm, Todd and Kali are planning to finally clean out the dingy, dark cellar–the last project to complete their renovations. But it’s clear they’re already there, stuck in the devastating grip of Stockholm Syndrome. A fly on the wall in their kitchen, we get an inside look at the damage they cause to each other, unable to break the intoxicating cycle of poke, break, battle, repent, and make up. This drama is scintillating, but the real alarm sounds through our glimpses of how the rupture reverberates beyond the pristine home–for Todd’s parents, their friends, and a haunting finale that ponders what could happen to a future generation.
These unknowns hover over us as we leave. Predictably, once one closed door is opened, there is another to pry into next.
Bryony Lavery’s Stockholm runs May 11 to June 3 in the Tarragon Extra Space.
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Carly Maga is an arts writer for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter: @RadioMaga.
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