A Doll’s House at Everyman Theater
Background
The classic Ibsen play, A Doll’s House, has seen its fair share of translations and adaptations since debuting in the nineteenth century in Norway. Joanie Schultz (Associate Artistic Director at Cincinnati Playhouse on The Park) wrote this new adaptation in 2018 for the WaterTower Theatre in Texas. In a conversation with this adaptation dramaturg, Robyn Quick (shout out TU Theatre) Joanie reveals her attempt to fulfill Ibsen’s intention that “the audience should relate and contemplate their own lives.” To make the play “as complicated as Ibsen intended.” Not complicated in its aesthetics or performance, this new adaptation does however “complicate” the original structure of its story into a rousing 90-minute nonstop performance. Joanie was inspired by Sir Richard Eyre’s 90-minute adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts. Joanie says, “by taking the air out of the play and not giving the audience a break, we are more able to feel the incredible pressure that Ibsen’s characters are feeling in his plays.” Fellow Kai and I attended the first showing of this new adaptation and the season premiere at Everyman Theatre.
Aesthetics
Entering the space for the first time, I was immediately drawn to the curtain surrounding the large front door placed center stage. The set stays true to the nineteenth-century era, a time of increasing modernity in fashion, speech and home design. Lights off stage focused directly inside the home of Norma and Torvarld Helmer, the center of the action and impending drama. Some highlights happen in the transition of time with lighting and sound design taking “center stage.” In fact, the design aspects play a huge part in what I would consider to be the “newness” of this adaptation. If you’re interested in attending the run, I’d pay close attention to the set in the end 😉 The text teeters between the original pontification of the educated working class and the modern colloquials you’d here from millennials today.
Performance
Everyman’s Resident Acting company take the stage in this adaptation, showing every part of what makes their ensemble a force to be reckoned with. Megan Anderson (Nora) stays on stage for a majority of the play and never once misses a beat, especially in the form of comedic relief, those moments of feminine charm, mystique and later on, outrage. Moments that struck me came from the play’s choreography (shout out to Joseph T. Ritsch).
Mythologizin’
“The woman question” is addressed in this new adaptation in a riveting way, addressing the age-old question with a modern fervor and audacity to embody the possibility of a woman daring to choose a life for herself over her partner and family. As with majority of the ills of patriarchy, its personification takes the form of the husband, a man more concerned with public appearance and image than the worries of what it takes to form and uphold that image. From Torvarld’s reaction to the discovery of Nora’s criminal offense, he blasts her and swears upon her future with him, their children and her interaction with their estate. An apology is swiftly followed up after the revelation that there will be no legal consequence for Nora’s actions, but Nora is already swayed into a new awareness. Throughout the play, Nora is tormented with the thought of being responsible for the “fall of the Helmer’s empire.” With a sprinkle of joy that the man she married may take the blame for her seemingly careless yet necessary act of short-term financial security. The unfolding of events causes a domino effect, an enlightening upon Nora’s awareness of the nature of her relationship, her life. She ceases the moment to proclaim her sovereignty, in a time where no such thing was common, outside of the magical world of theater. This adaptation leans into the sense of empowerment and entitlement Nora deserves for her cautious attempt to cover her tracks to avoid a social distasteful. Instead, she is awarded with self-independence amidst public opinion. A truly liberating feeling, both then and now
In Summation
I’m happy to say this was my first time seeing A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen as I would much rather be introduced to his work via adaptation than engaged with the original. The choice to make this version 90-minutes and non-stop left me on the edge of my seat, laid back and back to the edge of my seat over and over again. Joanie does an amazing job making the text contemporary and accessible for new theater audiences. This run was “pay what you can” with previews lined up for the rest of the week before the show officially opens. This means there will be more tweaks as the ensemble gets used to audience engagement (there will be laughs) and the designers find meticulous errors.
For more information about Everyman Theatre, visit their website: https://everymantheatre.org
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