Geoffrey Streatfeild is appearing in Dance of Death at the Orange Tree Theatre, joining Lisa Dillon and Will Keen in Richard Eyre’s new adaptation of August Strindberg’s classic play. The production marks another major revival at the Richmond venue, following a series of acclaimed re‑imagined classics.
Strindberg’s Dance of Death is a darkly comic and unsettling examination of a marriage locked in psychological combat. Set on a remote island, the play explores power, cruelty and dependency, with Streatfeild taking on the role of Kurt, an old friend drawn into the couple’s destructive orbit.
Dance of Death runs at the Orange Tree Theatre from 31 January to 7 March 2026, with tickets available here.
You’re starring in Dance of Death at the Orange Tree Theatre. What can you tell us about the show?
A terrifyingly toxic couple are approaching their twenty fifth wedding anniversary in hellish isolation. Into their midst comes an old friend, triggering a fiesta of violence and predation, both emotional and otherwise, with a side serving of vampiric cannibalism to top it off.
You’re playing Kurt in this production. How would you describe their role within the world of the play, and what drew you to them?
Kurt arrives into the world of the play after a fifteen-year absence and is immediately sucked into a whirlpool of duplicity and manipulation.
What drew me to that? I’m not sure. I suppose the dark underbelly of human behaviour has a grisly allure.
Dance of Death is often described as a darkly comic portrait of marriage and psychological warfare. How does this production lean into that balance between humour and menace?
I think it’s stacked with plenty of both. It’ll be interesting to see what the balance is like for an audience.
I imagine it will change every night and, within that, will differ for each audience member depending on their individual susceptibilities and proclivities.
You’re working with director Richard Eyre on a new adaptation of Strindberg’s text. What has that rehearsal process been like, and what feels distinctive about this version?
Richard is one of our greatest directors and a master adapter, so it’s a double privilege to work with him on this. He’s both super relaxed and very sharply focused.
The process has been straightforward, with nothing extraneous. We’ve been on our feet, staging and working the scenes, ironing out any tricky bits and getting to know it inside out so we can really play.
I didn’t know the play before, so I couldn’t say how this version is distinctive other than that it bears Richard’s characteristic hallmarks of penetrating intelligence, psychological insight and a delight in the absurd.
The Orange Tree Theatre is known for its intimacy and closeness between actors and audience. How does performing in that space shape the experience of this play?
Hopefully it will make for a viscerally engaging and immersive experience.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Dance of Death?
Hopefully you’ll leave feeling better about your own relationships. And if not, at least you’ll have found a kindred spirit in Strindberg.
And please don’t bring in noisy sweets, as Will’s character is heavily armed and often pretty irate.
