Royal Dramaten offers 'musical torture'

The Stockholm theater offers four newly written plays about the literary giant and his works as part of the Strindberg centennial. 

  • Image from “Satans Strindberg” from Dramaten’s homepage.

  • As part of the Strindberg centennial, the Royal Dramatic Theater (“Dramaten”) in Stockholm offers four newly written plays about the literary giant and his works. Nils Poletti is responsible for compiling them and directing them in a project called “Satans Strindberg”. In the play “I’m saving my flower 4u goatboy” the audience will experience Strindberg’s infamous Inferno crisis through his books “Inferno”, “Legender” (“Legends”), “Ensam” (“Alone”), and “En blå bok” (“A Blue Book”). And the Swedish hardcore band Jesaiah delivers what Dramaten describes as “musical torture” through speed playing and growling. Says Jesaiah singer Max Sjöblom:

  • Swedish hardcore band Jesaiah will add “musical torture” to honor Strindberg at Dramaten.

  • “The title of the play comes from one of our songs. It will be more like a staged concert than a theater play.” Jesaiah has toured central Europe and Scandinavia, mostly playing at festivals where the hard core culture is still alive. “It’ll be interesting to play for another audience than the one we’re used to,” Sjöblom continues. “A;; culture and polar opposites are good. This will be a clash between high culture and the more obscure, which we represent. I do attend a lot of theater, preferably experimental.”

  • Expect a different kind of decibel than usual at Dramaten when Jesaiah enters for the 12 planned shows. Other titles from the band are: “Capitalist crushings in C# major”, “We’re almost dead” and “Fill your hands with chaos”. “We are just now rehearsing to re-work the five, six songs we’ll be playing. But the hard core expression will remain.” Sjöblom says he’s read Strindberg’s “Röda rummet” (“The Red Room”) and “Giftas” (“Getting Married”) when he went to school. The play “I’m saving my flower 4u goatboy” will premiere on November 9.
    For more information (as well as a video clip): www.dramaten.se/Dramaten/Forestallningar/Satans-Strindberg/