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The World Is Full of Married Men review – Jackie Collins’ bonkbuster as a gloriously filthy puppet show
This exuberant adaptation of Jackie Collins’ first novel turns a story of infidelity, sexual politics and female ambition into an explicitly adult puppet show at London’s Yard theatre. Using modified Barbie dolls, detailed miniature sets and live video, Malmö Dockteater creates a deliberately bizarre but highly effective production that the reviewer finds outrageously funny, inventive and unexpectedly humane.
Set amid the film world of 1960s Hampstead, the plot follows bored housewife Linda, her unfaithful husband David and his aspiring actor lover Claudia, against a backdrop of predatory directors and casting-couch exploitation. Directed and designed by Erik Holmström, the Swedish-language production is translated by Lulu Raczka and performed by puppeteers Erik Olsson and Kajsa Ericsson, with camerawork by Josefin Beischer; its graphic sex scenes and period-detail doll’s houses serve both comedy and Collins’ still-relevant critique of inequality in relationships.
In short
- Jackie Collins becomes an audacious adult puppet comedy.
- Miniature craft and live video make the absurd premise work.
- Its sexual politics remain sharply relevant today.
Explained simply
Jackie Collins is a novelist known for explicit fiction exploring power, ambition and relationships in glamorous settings. Her debut novel "The World Is Full of Married Men" examines infidelity, sexual politics and female ambition in the story of a housewife named Linda, her unfaithful husband David and his lover Claudia in the 1960s London film industry. The novel's critique of gender inequality and power dynamics in relationships remains relevant to contemporary audiences.
A Swedish theatre company called Malmö Dockteater has adapted the novel as a puppet show now performing at London's Yard theatre. The production uses modified Barbie dolls, miniature sets and live video projection to tell the story, including explicit sexual scenes. This unconventional theatrical approach brings Collins' examination of gender and power in relationships to a modern audience.
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