A Doll’s House
Burnside Players
Holden St Theatre
Season Closed
When there is an Ibsen script on in town, you have to take notice. Norwegian Henrik Ibsen is credited with revolutionising the play through his exemplification of the codified well-made play and by frankly addressing social issues, thus transforming the play from entertainment to art. In 1879 ‘A Doll’s House’ caused a stir with Ibsen’s criticism of the traditional roles of men and women in marriage. Still relevant today, it can be taken as a feminist statement, or more generally, an awakening by an individual to the power they have surrendered to others through their prior social conditioning.
The synopsis in the program sets the play across Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after. This is truly an unusual Christmas with
a fraud revealed, blackmail, two new jobs gained, a firing on Christmas, a slide into death revealed, and most amazing of all, seemingly continuous mail delivery, like email. Not surprisingly, Christmas is barely mentioned.
Director Selena Bradbrook faithfully and highly successfully produced a period piece with detailed and tasteful set design and absolutely fetching costumes (Selena Bradbrook and Miriam Keane for both). In walks the protagonist, Nora, seemingly a money-loving airhead. Even her visiting long-absent friend Christina thinks she’s an airhead.
Nora’s husband, Torvald, treats her like an ornament and says the most politically incorrect things about her – big cringe factor. Nora has a big secret and a bigger heart, and her naivety with legal matters is about to hurt big-time.
Bradbrook kept the pace up – although sometimes diction suffered – and selected a cast with excellent potential. Kate Englefield was a dynamic, intense and watchable Nora and expressed Nora’s rising anxiety like a cat on a hot tin roof. The tension rose with each revelation. Rhodri Henry-Edwards was every inch the highly integral bank manager and his lack of understanding in the face of Nora’s desires was understood. Thorin Cupit played the villainous malcontent bank employee with malice; and Kristin Telfer’s wise and practical Christine, and Anthony Vawser’s creepy and mysterious Dr Rank were well conveyed and consistent performances.
While the actors did everything necessary to forward the action, which was engaging, large parts of their emotional journeys lacked veracity. Bradbrook, Englefield and Henry-Edwards could be accused of not making the strongest dramatic choices in the denouement after Nora’s epiphany. Consequently the famous slamming of the door was finally and signally unimpressive.
While ‘A Doll’s House’ is a classic tale well told in a traditional way in this production, its emotional quotient was subdued.
David Grybowski |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 20 March 2010 02:28 |
