UD Travel : Stockholm

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFCC99" TEXT="#384054" LINK="#000000"> <CENTER> <A HREF="../../../2.4_toc.html#travel" target="content2k"><IMG WIDTH="465" HEIGHT="31" BORDER="0" ALT="TRAVEL" SRC="../../../Images/travel_top.gif"></A> </CENTER> <BR> <A HREF="toc2.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/sat10pm.gif" ALT="Saturday, 10 p.m. Café Opera" ALIGN=TOP WIDTH="300" HEIGHT="88" BORDER="0"></A> <BLOCKQUOTE> <BR> <P> <P>Dear W:</P> <P>Despite the hour, it's still light out as I peer out the windows onto the Kungsträdgården. Hard to believe I just sat through a two-hour-plus performance. At the moment, Café Opera is hopping with its usual array of post-opera and post-theater affluent Swedes (and a generous share of tourists). It's pretty and it's pretentious -- even locals say so. And very over-priced. But it's only five minutes from Dramaten . . . </P> <P>Speaking of which, what can I say? Bergman is a genius. His Bacchae was in the Målarsalen, Dramaten's small, upstairs "experimental" black-box space. Virtually no set. No color. Just a bunch of actors creating an emotional intensity that's practically visceral. Bergman's conceit was to cast the role of Dionysus with a young, attractive actress (Dionysus was said to be fair featured and effeminate) thus making the play's fundamental conflict intensely sexual in addition to being metaphysical. Hence, Bergman's two favorite themes -- Men vs. Women and Man vs. God -- are perfectly fused. The erotic tension between Dionysus and Pentheus was palpable. And never before have I seen a Greek chorus do their usual ritualistic dancing and singing in a way that was even slightly plausible. Here it was hypnotic.</P> <P>More details (and photos) when I see you. Now it's off to Sture Compagniet, a hot disco I'm told I simply must visit. </P> <P>Love, Stan</P> <BR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P> <CENTER> <TABLE WIDTH=257> <TR> <TD> <NOBR><A HREF="sat6.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1prev.gif" ALT="previous letter" WIDTH="69" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A><A HREF="toc2.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1toc.gif" ALT="letters" WIDTH="116" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A><A HREF="sun4am.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1next.gif" ALT="next letter" WIDTH="72" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A><BR><A HREF="numbers.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1dire.gif" ALT="directory" WIDTH="257" HEIGHT="30" BORDER="0"></A></NOBR> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> <HR> <ADDRESS>© Copyright 1996 Urban Desires</ADDRESS> <P> </CENTER> </BODY>