Miniature dollhouses, customized Barbie dolls, and explicit adult themes now collide on a London stage. Director Erik Holmström has brought the theatrical adaptation of Jackie Collins’s debut novel, The World Is Full of Married Men, to The Yard Theatre with the Swedish experimental company Malmö Dockteater.
Reimagining a 1968 Literary Milestone
Published originally in 1968, Collins’s first novel established her lifelong literary focus on human sexual behavior, relationship power struggles, and the socio-economic pressures placed on women within the entertainment business.
The book’s setting centered on the British film production sphere in Hampstead rather than Hollywood. The theatrical adaptation maintains that core focus on professional ambition, casting couch realities, and marital disillusionment.
Inside the Illuminated Dollhouses
Malmö Dockteater’s staging relies on a unique visual and mechanical framework, executing the narrative inside a series of illuminated dollhouses. The characters are portrayed primarily by repurposed Barbie dolls modified by director and puppet designer Erik Holmström.
These figures feature detailed design elements, including pronounced physical characteristics and practical staging setups that allow the performance to tackle adult themes with literal interpretation.
Amplified Tension and Explicit Staging
The audio design plays an integral role, utilizing heavy, amplified breathing alongside dialogue to underscore the psychological tension between characters navigating marriages in crisis and professional compromises.
Scandinavian Experiment Meets British Pop History
The adaptation highlights Collins’s early interest in the mechanics of desire and ambition long before contemporary movements like #MeToo brought systemic industry misconduct to the forefront of public discourse. The narrative tracks the intersecting lives of film executives, aspiring talents, and spouses caught in cycles of betrayal and professional maneuvering.
By casting plastic dolls in roles defined by messy human emotions and explicit encounters, the production creates a jarring juxtaposition between consumer culture iconography and unfiltered adult drama. The theatrical run at The Yard Theatre provides London audiences with a rare look at Scandinavian experimental puppetry applied to British pop-literary history.
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