After their success in ‘The Clean Room’ and ‘Hap’, it was only a matter of time before Jana Pulkrabek and Vanessa Poole reunited on stage again – this time for a production of the play ‘Vodka Talks’ by HIT International Theater Arts, the company they drive together.
So not only did they star in ‘Vodka Talks’, but they also produced it and played a big role in the translation. The original German work required a lot of work, and together with its Danish writer Arne Nielsen and director Lars Junggreen, the pair worked hard to bring it to the stage.
The results were first enjoyed by audiences at Bastionen Teater in Malmö, British-born Poole’s hometown, and judging by their reaction, the Copenhageners are in for a treat when they perform it at Teatret ved Sorte Hest at the end of April.
Emotional roller coaster
While the German version is quite a bit longer, the English adaptation comes in at about an hour and a half without intermission.
And right from the start, it’s an emotional rollercoaster as the two sisters take us through a wide range of emotions from anger to sadness and lots of laughs along the way – smeared with generous vodka.
Perfect foils
Pulkrabek is touching and sincere as the quieter sister. A big part of her performance is the way she reacts to Poole’s more boisterous infamy.
Poole, meanwhile, relishes the chance to snap, crackle and pop in a role that could have been tailor-made for the actress.
Together they perfectly present the kind of sibling love/hate relationship we find at the cornerstone of so much of our compelling drama throughout the ages: from ‘King Lear’ to ‘Succession’!
Very original staging
This play is both extremely funny and poignant. It raises many interesting questions about modern society and the way humanity tries but fails to control its future.
There is so much to identify with here: everyone will recognize traits true to their own family.
And great praise must be given to the original staging. At the beginning of the play, the actresses share the stage with 50 cardboard boxes, which they do their best to get rid of during the play. Along with some brilliant sound effects, the audience is completely immersed throughout.
Vodka Talks
20.-22. April; Theater at Sorte Hest, Vesterbrogade 150, Frederiksberg; ticket details TBC
Source: The Nordic Page