Henrik, did you write this?

I have been looking forward to seeing A Doll’s House since it was added to the syllabus, because I have spent so much time studying it. I analyzed the script for my Regie Book in Script Analysis last semester, and completed my final over the show in my Fundamentals of Theatrical Design, so I was extremely eager to see the show on stage for the first time. As soon as I walked into the theatre, it was clear that what was showing was an adaptation of the script that Henrik Ibsen originally wrote. The script opens with stage directions and detailed descriptions of the set, “a room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly. Between the doors stands a piano. Near the window are a round table, arm-chairs and a small sofa…”. The stage for the show that we saw was exactly opposite of the description that Ibsen described in the original script. The set was modern, empty, lifeless, and dull, which is not the Doll’s House set that I previously knew, or was expecting to see. The room was designed to be a basement, with a carpet that was casual but clearly not lived in. There were moving boxes (a new packaged television), an unwrapped plastic Christmas tree, and no furniture. I noticed the lack of furniture almost immediately, and throughout the play I saw the effect it had on the actors and blocking of the show. Because the set lacked so many things (audience distractions sure, but also script details and context for the actors), the actors looked and, I assume, felt awfully awkward when interacting with one another during severely emotional outbursts. While I’m sure it was an intentional choice the actors and directors made, it was obvious that when the characters were experiencing serious and “real” emotions, they would fall and crunch into the floor, because there was no furniture. It was distracting to me that there was constant up and down, going from standing to laying on the floor. This is a direction choice of the play that introduces the theme of Nora being a “doll”, and reinforces the theme that Nora is not capable of doing things on her own. I think the lighting choice of having a LED square on the roof the whole time definitely reinforced the idea that Nora is trapped in a cage, never getting out, not to mention that she is in a basement. I also loved and really respected the fact that during the whole Act 1, Nora’s character never left the stage. She was on stage for the entirety of the first act, which really made her look and feel trapped, and like she was always running/hiding from something. All in all, the adaptation we saw was nothing like what Henrik originally wrote, or what I was expecting, but the elements they did add did complement the design choices they made. Would I prefer this version over the original, probably not, but nonetheless, I can appreciate and enjoy some live theater!