Einkvan by Jon Fosse was performed at the beautiful Coronet Theatre, a venue that perfectly blends period charm with a capacity for avant-garde staging. The ambience was evocative and well-suited to the abstract, meditative tone of the production.
The performance centers around a family in emotional disarray, focusing on a son who refuses to speak or respond to his parents. Despite their desperate attempts to connect—pleading with him to talk, reminiscing about shared memories, or offering simple gestures like having a beer—he remains distant and unresponsive. His silence is both the emotional core and the great mystery of the piece.
Visually, Einkvan is stunning. The entire performance unfolds behind a semi-translucent veil, rendering the actors as ghostly figures moving in slow, deliberate gestures. The scenes are then captured live and projected in close-up, on two screens above the stage, which adds an intense intimacy to the viewing experience. The design choices give the production an ethereal, dream-like quality, and this staging is undoubtedly one of the show’s strongest aspects.
However, while the visual elements are compelling, the script lacks substance. The dialogue is repetitive and vague, offering little insight into the characters’ motivations or backstories. We are given no context for the son’s emotional withdrawal, and the symbolic elements—such as the mirrored characters—remain unexplained. This makes it difficult to fully engage with the emotional stakes of the story. The repetition of ‘come talk to me,’ or ‘we used to paint,’ begins to feel hollow rather than profound.
Vetle Bergan delivers a raw and emotionally charged performance as the son, but ultimately the play feels more like a visual installation than a fully realized narrative. While the concept and staging are inventive, the lack of narrative clarity left the emotional weight of the story largely unrealized and feeling like there was something missing.
Tickets: Jon Fosse: Einkvan – The Coronet Theatre
Reviewer: Zain Russell
Reviewed: 8th May 2025
North West End UK Rating: