The oppression many women feel under the laws and moral codes written by men is newsworthy today. Last year’s reversal of Roe v. Wade is an obvious and contentious current example. Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House in 1879 inspired by a friend’s marriage. The play radically challenged the notion of traditional gender roles in that era.
Amy Herzog (4000 Miles, Belleville) has adapted the original with modern, clear cut language. A sharp scalpel gets to the meat of the story and the tumult is laid bare. Nora has her demons and disappointments. She never leaves the stage and we cannot look away.
Her husband Torvald sees her as a pretty songbird and mother of their three children. Nora, however, is far cleverer than that. Relationships strengthen her day-to-day emptiness. She subjects herself to society’s norms but the evidence of that struggle is readily apparent. The date “1879” is flashed on the back wall to remind us that this is a period piece. A modernistic approach written by a woman with a minimalistic staging impressively conveys the essential and timeless themes.
Director Jamie Lloyd has interpreted this analysis with a starkness that makes the stage seem a very lonely place. There are no sets and no props except for chairs. The vastness is effectively juxtaposed against Nora’s staggering emotional claustrophobia. (The lighting descending and ascending seemed an unnecessary distraction to me.)
Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain (The Heiress) is a brilliant Nora, tearfully surviving life yet evidencing a backbone. Arian Moayed (The Humans) is a revelatory Torvald, not a caricature of a cold man in a cold country. We believe he loves his wife. The conventions of the day and a superior morality, however, trump that love.
The terminally ill family friend Dr. Rank is a frequent visitor to their home. His devotion to Nora is palpable. The scene between the two of them is one of the true highlights in a production filled with beautiful realized and often heartbreaking moments. Michael Patrick Thornton’s performance is exceptional.
Okieriete Onaodowan (Hamilton) plays Nils Krogstad, Torvald’s co-worker at the bank and a troublesome villain harboring Nora’s secret. The shades of meaning given to this character make him an ultimately sympathetic figure. That is one of the remarkable aspects of this A Doll’s House. There is sympathy to spare in a world defined by unachievable perfection.
Fifteen minutes before the play begins, Ms. Chastain sits in a plain chair on a revolving turntable. The audience is assembling. Her inner angst is contained but notably simmering under the surface. Other actors join her on their own chairs as the minutes tick by. A foreboding tension sets the mood for what is to follow.
A Doll’s House has a famous ending which was shocking in its time. Nora and Torvald eventually arrive at the end of their emotional journey. Can the modern styling of this interpretation somehow allow for a memorable finale? The answer to that question is an ecstatic yes. Gasps are the deserved audience response. This production is a riveting and deep examination of women and societal norms. Two additional female characters make sure we hear and sympathize with them as well.