Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was first performed at Copenhagen’s Royal Theatre in December of 1879. In the almost-150 years since then, the world has changed a lot, particularly in regards to women’s rights – women can now freely vote, own property, and be financially independent from men, which was not the case at the time.
Despite this, A Doll’s House still feels incredibly resonant now, with its depiction of the unravelling middle-class family crisis still cutting deep with familiarity. Chris Bush, writer of this adaptation, explains in an interview for the show programme: ‘a lot of what Ibsen has to say about gender and patriarchy and domestic entrapment feels as resonant today as it ever has [...] maybe Ibsen was just incredibly ahead of his time, maybe we’ve just not come very far, and in truth, it’s probably a bit of both’.
At the time, A Doll’s House was scandalous, causing much controversy for its supposedly radical feminist themes, leading to the insertion of an alternative ending for a German tour. Ibsen denied this as his intent, instead basing this play on the true life-story of his fellow writer Laura Kieler. However, in his notes for the play, Ibsen does speak out against sexism: ‘A woman cannot be herself in modern society… It is an exclusively male society, with laws made by men and with prosecutors and judges who assess feminine conduct from a masculine standpoint.’
This adaptation for Sheffield Theatres highlights these themes perfectly without ever stepping over-the-line or dumbing anything down, keeping the 19th-century Norway setting intact while streamlining dialogue and trimming the less engaging subplots of the original, keeping the focus on the core of the drama: the spiralling relationship crisis between middle-class housewife Nora (Siena Kelly) and bank manager husband Torvald (Tom Glenister).
As is standard for productions at The Crucible, the set design is simply incredible, with its canvas façade of the titular Doll’s House lifting above the stage to reveal the ‘dolls’ within. The hardwood floors and harsh white lighting evoke the isolation and haunting atmosphere of a Scandinavian manor in the winter.
The sound design is minimal, yet effective. The sparingly-used music is low-pitched, rumbling the theatre to highlight the high-anxiety twists and turns. Piano sections, played diegetically within the action, encapsulate the wintery setting.
But the true heart of the play is in its performances, particularly the two leads. Siena Kelly is electrifying in the leading role, expertly capturing Nora’s tumultuous descent into despair as she tries to hold her family life together while all her secrets unravel before her. She even gives a fantastic and frenetic physical performance in her dance scenes. Tom Glenister (son of television actor Robert Glenister – who was seen in attendance on the night) was equally astonishing as Torvald, the patriarch of the family who sees his world upended. Despite their youth, both actors are incredibly convincing as a seasoned family unit.
The small supporting cast deserve special mentions too: Aaron Anthony as the lovesick Dr Rank; Eben Figueiredo as the conniving blackmailer Krogstad; Mel Lowe as scene-setting servant and pianist Anna; and Eleanor Sutton as Nora’s newly-arrived long-lost best friend Christina, whose arrival kick-starts the drama when she immediately worms her way into the family’s professional life looking for a job.
A Doll’s House is one of the most famous and most oft-performed plays of all time, and with good reason – it is engaging, at times even thrilling, and eternally incisive in its biting critique of male-dominated society. This Crucible production is a fantastic way to discover or revisit this classic, as it remains faithful to the original text whilst keeping up accessibility for a modern audience.
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