I was excited to see how this modern adaptation of The Master Builder by Ibsen would be handled. I wanted to see complex social dynamics, the contradictory depths of an artist’s mind, and the manipulations people use on each other. Instead, I watched a dramatic prime-time television series play out on stage. I’m sure 2 seasons of My Master Builder would be an intriguing watch, but my 2 hours at Wyndham’s Theatre failed to pull me into the world it wanted to show.
I felt like the play was written with the goal of tackling some pretty big issues: Power imbalance, class struggles, sustainability, history, guilt, and most importantly, female empowerment. Sadly, it fails to effectively explore or discuss most of these topics. Mostly, it was about sex and gender roles within the context of power struggle. The characters of Elena (Kate Fleetwood) and Mathilde (Elizabeth Debicki) often had frank discussions about what it meant to be an upper-class woman. It was a very particularly upper-class struggle the characters worked through, and one that adds very little to the wider discussion of this issue. Reading other reviews, this play’s author, Lila Raicek, apparently based the play off of a real-world dinner party with similar dynamics. Because of this perspective, there were many true things the characters could not, nor would, ever say. Overall, the first act had me excited to hear interesting discussions and see the folly of power on-stage, and the second act let me down.
I liked the sexual tension. I liked the silent standoffs and loud arguments. I even liked the slightly out-of-place and pithy monologues from Henry (Ewen Mcgregor). I guess I’m trying to say, not all of my thoughts about the show are negative; in the moment, it was entertaining! But in the hours after the show, I couldn’t pull any strong feelings out from my experience. It simply did not stick with me. I will not think about this performance much in the future, honestly.
Theatre in London U of A 