Writer: Jon Fosse
Translator: Gregory Motton
Director: Simon Usher
Simon Usher directs The Name at the White Bear Theatre in a production that does credit to the 1995 play. Originally written in Nynorsk, The Name won writer Jon Fosse the Norwegian Ibsen Award. Fosse is the most performed Norwegian playwright ever, behind Ibsen, and a recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature.
A young, heavily pregnant woman sits on the sofa after returning to her childhood home, and is joined by her partner and family. It slowly becomes apparent that all is not right, and the masterful writing of Fosse draws the audience into the tense Norse family drama. Through charged dialogue and tense silence, The Name opens up the pretence of idyllic family life, and says a thousand things without uttering a word. Capitalism, family, honesty, and monogamy are all themes that swim through the air as the characters sit in silence.
Foss’s characters, with the exception of Bjarne (Jan Martin), are nameless and called simply by their positions in the family, i.e., Girl (Jasmín Dúfa Pitt), Boy (Daf Thomas), Mother (Valerie Gogan), Father (Tony Bell), and Sister (Marie Thorseth Molnes).
The dialogue has the repetitive, stunted, almost jarring cadence of a Pinter or indeed an Ibsen play. It’s difficult to listen to; it makes the audience uncomfortable. The silences quickly become as pregnant as the protagonist, and remain that way until the final curtain.
The production, an intimate setting above the White Bear pub in Kennington, is good generally. The acting likewise. Dúfa Pitt is a convincing expectant mother; although perhaps slightly off at the start, they quickly find their feet. Bell is excellent as the Father. The Northern English accent somehow doesn’t jar with the otherwise Nordic production, and every line is delivered with the power of a hammer to a nail. When a painting accidentally falls off the wall (presumably not in the script), Bell continues as though this is just another thing for his long-suffering character to deal with. Brilliant. Similarly impressive is Thorseth Molnes, straight from a striking display in What Fatima Did, and once again delivers a strong performance, providing comic relief when needed before switching to a serious demeanour with the cool-headed confidence of a pendulum swinging.
The ending is left somewhat open and ambiguous, a confusing and unsettling end to this family dissection. A rare chance to see some of a living Nobel laureate’s best work.
Runs until 6 June 2026
