Theater

‘Stockholm’ more compelling as a syndrome than this play

The sexy young couple in “Stockholm” seem made for each other. Attractive and fit, they dance joyously and indulge in torrid (offstage) sex before he whips up dinner. As they prepare for their vacation in the city of the title, they speak in mock Swedish dialogue inspired by Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal.”

But it’s soon clear that things between Todd (Richard Saudek) and Kali (Christina Bennett Lind) are far from idyllic. Trapped in a codependent, abusive relationship, they could be suffering the kind of traumatic bonding known as Stockholm syndrome. And their dancing is a literal manifestation of August Strindberg’s similarly dysfunctional couple in “The Dance of Death.”

Bryony Lavery, who, in 2004, presented a chilling portrait of a child killer in her Tony-nominated “Frozen,” has given us a play that is anything but naturalistic. The characters frequently narrate the proceedings in the third person, and the dialogue is often profane and repetitious, as Todd intones the phrase “He’s not alone” again and again while enjoying Kali’s sexual ministrations. There’s as much movement as conversation, from the elaborately choreographed unpacking of groceries to a knock-down, drag-out brawl.

But for all the attempts to plumb their psychological depths, neither Todd nor Kali are interesting enough for us to care about. At first, their fights are petty — she refuses his request to secure some fennel for their dinner — but her obsessive suspicions about his ex-girlfriends fuel the fiercest battles.

“We agreed that retro-jealousy over past lovers was a waste of cosmic time,” Todd weakly protests.

Performing on James Dardenne’s abstract set — an ultramodern apartment with a row of sharp knives dangling menacingly on the kitchen wall — the pair deliver intensely physical performances. Director Nick Flint and choreographer Natalie Lomonte skillfully put the actors through their paces, to the point where the piece seems as much modern dance as drama. But despite the talents of everyone involved, “Stockholm” is hardly worth the journey.