As we recover from jet lag and settle into our British lives, we made our way to our second show; a modern take on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The set was designed to resemble a very modern, clean, and empty house. This led to a lot of blocking taking place on the carpeted floor. I quite liked this aspect and the humanity it brought to the conversations being held. I find myself laid out on a carpeted floor frequently and often find very good conversation down there. The lack of a changing set brought in the title in a similar way to original adaptations. The stationary setting creates that feeling of being stuck, especially for Nora, as she is present the most in this unchanging space. The act 1 finale captures this sense of helplessness as well. A woman turning to sexualizing herself with her own husband in her own house in order to get something was very powerful. It created discomfort in an intentional way. The use of the skylight-like lighting brought the “cage” to completion by offering the visual of a hypothetical outside world while keeping Nora as well as the audience stuck inside. I had a fear that the modernization of the story would lower the stakes of the loan that Nora took out. I was pleasantly surprised by how anxious I was about the the sum of money and scandal behind it. I do think it took away the commentary on gender in the conflict. The stakes were high but they no longer had to do with what a woman was and wasn’t allowed to do in a society.
This production was not what I was anticipating, especially for my first time seeing the show done; however, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it carried the story and stakes well. There was a loss of the original discussion on gender roles. However, I do think there was an interesting new conversation on the more current gender roles in this production. Overall, I very much enjoyed this take on A Doll’s House.
Theatre in London U of A 