THE RETURNING

In The Returning we meet a mother and father grieving for the loss of their son, Gustav, whom they assume to be dead. One day there is a knock on the door. And there he is. Their son. The parents joy is indescribable. After a while daily life returns and order is restored, but then, one day, their son dies. The parents grieve, but their grief is different than the first time. Also their joy is different when Gustav knocks on the door two weeks later. And then, as soon as daily life returns, their son dies a third time. And a fourth. And a fifth. And he always returns. At the end the parents are driven to indifference and the play's genre has transformed from a tragedy to a black comedy.

The Returning has been produced five times and brought Fredrik Brattberg The Ibsen Award in 2012.