Doktor Glas

 TNT

A one man show delivered in Swedish may not seem a particularly enticing proposition but star of Wallander Krister Henriksson holds the stage with his gripping 90 minute rendition of Hjalmar Soderberg’s epistolary novel which caused a scandal when it was first published in 1905.

Dressed in a plain brown suit, Henriksson is the eponymous physician – as well as, with a shift in voice and posture, the repellent Pastor Gregorius, the latter’s beautiful young wife Helga and a scattering of other minor characters too.

Played out on an almost bare consulting room set (beautifully lit by Linus Fellbom) it’s a tale of lonely infatuation which begins with the altruistic provision of a medical excuse to enable the unhappy (but already adulterous) woman to avoid her husband’s demands for his marital rights and ends in murder.

It’s a pity Henriksson has chosen to be so obviously miked (especially since the vast majority of the audience will no doubt be relying on the surtitles) as he’s a skilled and compelling storyteller, intense, anxious and not without a dash of humour to lighten this sorry, psychologically troubled tale of misguided medical practice.

Wyndhams, Charing Cross Road WC2H 0DA
Tube | Leicester Square
Until 11th May
£15.00- £49.50 (premium seats £65.00) www.drglas.com