Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.02.2005, Blaðsíða 28

AMERICAN DIPLOMACY AND
THE DECLINE OF DEMOCRACY
The entire Icelandic government gets killed off in some
inexplicable terrorist act. The only man left standing is the
agricultural minister, who assumes the reins of power. The US
Army is about to leave the country. But as a war is impending
somewhere far away, the new Prime Minister tries to negotiate
support for the war in exchange for keeping the Army here.
A nightmare scenario? Well, yes,
and also the subject of a new play,
American Diplomacy, written
and directed by aspiring young
playwright Þorleifur Arnarsson. Give
or take the terrorist act, the situation
is actually more plausible than you
might think. When Grapevine
tried to find out last summer who
was responsible for governing the
country when the Foreign Minister
was away and the Prime Minister
was in hospital, it turned out it was
none other than agricultural minister
Guðni Ágústson, number three in
line as head of government.
Torturing Prime Ministers
“It’s a political tragicomedy,” says
Þorleifur. “We are lucky enough
to have in the leading role the
actor Hjálmar Hjálmarsson, who
used to do spoof news on radio for
seven years, so he has the necessary
experience. Every morning we go
over the latest news and see what we
can work into the play.”
This may very well be the most
political play to make its way onto an
Icelandic stage in quite some time,
but Þorleifur has directed political
stuff before. His dramatisation of
Orwell’s 1984, where he locked up
the actors in a cell for the night to
get them in the right mood, left no
one who saw in unmoved. And he
also directed the play Pentagon, a
collection of 5 mini plays, four of
which were by aspiring young writers
such as Eiríkur Norðdal and Haukur
Már Helgason, and the fifth was by
Australian Vanessa Badham.
“Most of the segments were very
political. Haukur Már’s piece was
about a couple of philosophers who
kidnap a Prime Minister and torture
him while discussing Socrates’
theories on violence.”
Missing Australians
Vanessa Badham also figures in the
current play, although more by her
absence.
“I flew to Australia to meet her.
She was going to write a play that
I was to direct called American
Diplomacy. Then one mishap
followed another and she was unable
to do it. I was left with a grant from
the Ministry of Culture and a play,
so there was nothing for it but to
write the damn thing myself.”
The art of directing theatre is
not, contrary to popular belief, an
inherited craft but an acquired one.
But even if it were, Þorleifur would
have the right pedigree. His father
is renowned actor Arnar Jónsson,
who most recently played legendary
bishop Jón Arason in the National
Theatre’s Öxin og jörðin, and his
mother is Þórhildur Þorleifsdóttir,
who recently directed the City
Theater’s Hýbýli vindanna. But he
grew up around politics as well as
the arts.
“My father was arrested once in
1962 for writing socialist slogans on
a NATO ship. He was locked up
during the day, but the jailer let him
go during the evening as he had to
attend a theatre rehearsal that night.”
Bloggers in jail
But Þorleifur is set to make it in the
theatre in his own right. And his
opinions are all his own too.
“What we are witnessing now is the
decline of democracy, as the major
corporations assume more control of
the individual. As we speak, the first
blogger is being sued by Apple corp
in the United States, even though
the constitution there is supposed to
be protecting his right to free speech.
It’s this decline of democracy that
I’m afraid we’re seeing the beginning
of here.”
And yet Þorleifur still sees cause for
optimism: “Despite everything, we
did see some progress in the 20th
Century. Oppression of women
or minority groups is no longer
tolerated to the extent that it was
50 years ago. So some things can
actually change for the better.”
American Diplomacy is premiered at
Borgarleikhúsið on February 24th.
Before the Beatles, there was Ray Charles. Staring Jamie Foxx, straight
off his excellent performance in Collateral, as the man himself, with Kerry
Washington as his wife, and Aunjanue Ellis and Regina King as his back-up
singers/mistresses. Ray spans the start of Ray Charles’ career in the fifties
until the mid-seventies, with plenty of reflection on his childhood, how he
went blind, his childhood poverty, and rise to fame.
At just over two and half hours Ray is a reel too long and you notice. The
film feels episodic, as it flashes back and forth from Ray’s childhood to
adulthood. At times I was able to pre-empt its continual use of fade-to-white
or fade-to-black approach, giving it look and feel of a made-for-TV movie.
Ray had me bopping in my seat with the original music recordings and
performances. Jamie Foxx does a brilliant job lip-synching and creating the
character that is Ray Charles: heroin addict, womanizer and musical genius.
The script by Taylor Hackford and James L. White tries to reflect the good
and the bad of Ray Charles’ life, but is sugarcoated and refuses to delve
deeper into his psyche. The tribute and tacked-on ending feels rushed and
left me somewhat disappointed.
by Cara Harvey
Heroin Addict,
Womanizer,
Musical Genius
Rome, June 1800. Napoleon has just
invaded Italy. During the action the
Austrian General Melas is reported
to have defeated Napoleon and the
consequent celebrations are likely
to be attended by Queen Marie
Caroline, wife of the Neapolitan king,
daughter to the Empress of Austria
and sister to Marie Antoinette, the
beheaded queen of France. This is the
backdrop to Puccini’s Tosca. Baron
Scarpia, the much-feared Chief of
Police, is based on a real-life Sicilian
figure, and Cavaradossi and Angelotti are supporters of the liberal group
hoping for Napoleon’s victory.
Tosca is among Puccini’s most popular operas. The music is complex and
catching. There is poetic beauty in the lover’s duets between Tosca the singer
and Cavaradossi the painter. That beauty is contrasted by the roughness of
the police officer Scarpia, who tries to deceive Tosca in order to win her love.
The leading role of Tosca is performed by Elín Ósk Óskarsdóttir and chorus
of 36 people participates in the performance.
by Birgitta Jónsdóttir
Hedging your bets
on Bonaparte
by Valur Gunnarsson
TOSCA
premiers on Fri. 11. Feb. 20.00
Other performances:
Sun. 13. Feb. 19.00
Fri. 18. Feb. 20.00
Sun. 20. Feb. 19.00
Fri. 25. Feb. 20.00
Sun. 27. Feb. 19.00
Fri. 4. Mar. 20.00
Sun. 6. Mar. 19.00
Sat. 12. Mar. 19.00
Ray
Opens Friday 18th February
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