Chris Bush’s fresh take on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a perfect example of why any classic should be reimagined, restaged and re-explored with an audience of today at its heart. While the time, dress and societal context of the play stays the same as Ibsen’s controversial tale of a woman driven to leaving her husband (first staged in 1879), Bush’s script, directed by Elin Schofield, adds comedy, wit and relatable characters that speak to an audience in 2024.
Nora (Siena Kelly), married to painfully patronising bank manager Torvald (Tom Glenister), is blackmailed by one of Torvald’s employees Krogstadd (Eben Figueiredo) who wants to keep his job at Torvald’s bank. Unless Nora cooperates, he threatens to unveil a past fraudulent act where, unknown to her husband, Nora forged her dying father’s signature in order to borrow money to pay for treatment for a dangerously sick Torvald who, despite his controlling nature, Nora claims to love.
It’s been said that, at the time of writing, Ibsen didn’t intend for the piece to be a ‘feminist’ one, despite the idea of a married woman handling her own finances and abandoning her husband and children being unthinkable in the late 19th century. Yet, when it was first staged, Ibsen was forced to write an alternative ending in which it’s implied that Nora decides to stay with Torvald, as this was a more “acceptable” ending for audiences at the time to stomach.
The vast majority of the play’s modern retellings, including this one, stick to the original ending, maintaining its overtly feminist theme. Bush’s script, however, weaves in interesting layers exploring class, race, and toxic relationships which makes this revival unlike any other.
Torvald’s distaste for Krogstadd goes beyond an incident at work, explaining he just can’t stand the way he talks; he’d never give Krogstadd a promotion and wants him out. Nora, brought out of a life of poverty by her father (she was adopted from an orphanage) and sustained by Torvald, panders to Torvald’s needs as he reminds her with every condescending remark that he is, and always has been, above her. It feels like a dramaturgical choice that Torvald is played by a white actor while Nora and Krogstadd are both played by POC actors, reflecting the ever present racial hierarchy in society today.
Torvald, who never leaves the boxed house with paper-thin walls (stunningly designed by Chiara Stephenson), has everything to his taste, from the Christmas decorations to his wife’s clothes. All other characters enter in and out of the house through the same door, each adding a new layer to Nora’s predicament and slowly allowing life outside the doll’s house to disrupt the play and eventually force her to see the reality of freedom beyond the walls.
This is also beautifully symbolised through constant sparkling snowfall at the back of the stage, ever present to Nora through the windows and enticing her to take the metaphorical leap to a life without the constraints of her husband.
The dialogue feels so natural and easy to follow that audiences completely new to the play can experience it with no prior knowledge, and younger audiences, perhaps ones studying the original text, can engage with Ibsen’s storytelling in their own way.
The stunning staging, combined with powerful performances and fresh dialogue, invites audiences to reflect on the enduring issues of agency and societal expectations. As Nora steps into the audience, it becomes a poignant reminder that her journey is not just a personal liberation but a universal quest for freedom in a world that often demands hierarchal structures in every parts of our lives: in the workplace, in friendships, in our own homes. This reimagining urges us to reconsider the roles we play and the spaces we inhabit, making it a must-see for both seasoned theatre-goers and newcomers alike.
A Doll's House plays at Sheffield Crucible until 12th October. For more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Mark Douet
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