Close to love: Tristan & Isolde at Aarhus Theatre

How does it feel when a love story that is several hundred years old is played out just a few meters away from you, with ruins surrounding the stage and the emotions up close? I attended the premiere of Tristan & Isolde at Aarhus Theatres intimate Studio stage, where the audience is drawn right into the story of love, friendship, desire and betrayal. It is an experience that is not meant to be understood in detail, but felt. And you can.

A journey through the story before the performance begins

Before the performance even begins, we as the audience are gently taken into the universe. Nanna Bøttcher stands before us and unfolds the plot. Not as a classic review, but as an evocative introduction to the emotions that lie beneath the story. She talks about Wagner, about the symbolism of love and about the layers of sorrow, desire and longing that lie in the story of Tristan and Isolde.

She states something important right from the start:

“I think you shouldn't sit and try to orient yourself in the action and calmness of a character, so it's only instead that you can allow yourself to tell yourself the feelings you have.”

It's an invitation to let go of the need to understand every plot point and instead let yourself be carried away. And it works. You feel the room calm down and the audience listen. There's a sense that we're about to enter something that needs to be experienced more with the body than the head.

A small space with great intensity

The studio stage at Aarhus Theatre is much smaller than you might imagine. I would estimate that there is room for about 80 people. The audience sits on two sides of the stage, close to the ruins, close to each other and close to the actors. I was sitting just a few meters from the set and almost felt like I could reach out and touch the stones.

The close arrangement also adds to the experience. You're not sitting hidden in the dark like in a large hall. Here you can feel their reactions, see their faces, and that makes the intensity even stronger.

The scenography feels like something from the past. A space of ruins and remains. At the same time, the costumes are a mix of past and present. Armor and modern elements in the same image. It gives a feeling that the story does not only belong to the Middle Ages, but also today.

When the music hits before the words

The performance opens with the song “I will always love you”, and it is a surprising and powerful choice. Even before the action really gets going, the emotions are set in motion. We all know that song. It is already somewhere in the body and suddenly it stands there in the room and feels like new again.

I could feel it hitting me. A little moisture in the corner of my eye. A quiet lump in my throat. It's an intense start that sets the tone for the rest of the evening.

There is no opera in the classical sense. Instead, the story is carried by contemporary songs, and it works surprisingly well. The love between two people is the same, whether we are talking about the Middle Ages or today. When they sing, the pain and longing become clearer. The emotions are allowed to fill the space in a different way than if they were just spoken.

A love caught between duty and longing

The play follows Tristan and Isolde from the moment we meet them on the ship. Isolde is on her way to a marriage she did not choose. She is to marry King Mark as part of a peace treaty, and Tristan is the man who accompanies her. Already here, the tension between them clearly lies beneath the surface. On the journey, they drink the love potion, and from that moment their fates are linked.

Their feelings grow, even though they both know that it must not happen. We follow them further as Isolde marries the king, but her longing for Tristan does not disappear. It lives on in looks, in words and in the desire between them. Tristan then returns to his homeland, while Isolde is left with the longing.

And when she finally reaches him again, it is too late for the two lovers. It is a story of a love that is never truly allowed to live, but which also never lets go of its grip.

A language from another time

One of the things that impressed me the most is the language. It feels like something from another time. The sentences are long, poetic, and solemn, and I wonder how on earth they can remember it all.

Laura Kjær Jensen in particular as Isolde carries a lot of the text. She has many lines and long passages, and she delivers them with an intensity that makes me believe every word. Her face is filled with emotion. The love for Tristan. The pain and the anger. It's all clear to read.

Oskar Salvatore as Tristan is calmer in his expression and more reserved. Not so expressive in his face. But it feels like a conscious choice. He is a knight. He carries his emotions inside and it suited the role and gives a nice balance between the two.

The audience feels it together

Along the way I notice the audience. Everyone is completely absorbed and there are both women and men. Everyone is following along and it is clear to feel how the room reacts collectively. There is laughter when there is something light. And there is complete silence when it is serious.

When you're sitting so close to the stage, the intensity becomes almost physical. You can see facial expressions up close. Hear the breathing and feel the tension.

A performance to be felt

This is not a performance you necessarily have to understand in detail. It is a performance you have to feel. And you do.

I was left feeling engrossed. Drawn into the story. Into the love and pain between Tristan and Isolde. It's a story that's hundreds of years old, but it still feels recognizable, even to this day.

Because at its core, it's about something we all know. To love and to long or perhaps to lose. And sometimes to love so much that it almost hurts.

And it hits home, no matter who you are.

Tristan and Isolde

The performance can be experienced during the period:

February 5 — March 11

Ticket price
100 – 185 kr.

Playing time
Approximately 90 minutes