We went and saw A Doll’s House, written by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, at Almedia Theatre!
This is the first “version” of A Doll’s House I’ve seen and am not super familiar with the play itself, so I was going in completely open to the ideas of the director. One of the first things that I noticed about the set when walking in was the fully carpeted floor. There was no furniture, making the only place the actors could sit be either the floor or the also-carpeted bench lining the upstage wall of the set. At first it threw me off, but as the show went on, watching the actors, especially Nora, walk around the set in socks, it reminded me of those white padded rooms you see people in. Each footstep was silent, which made the noises other than the characters speaking way more noticeable. I do wish that there was furniture, but it wasn’t an awful thing that there wasn’t. I remember thinking “but this is her house, she has kids, why would she be raising kids in a house with no furniture?” but maybe it added to her disconnect from her life and how she doesn’t want it.
The “dance break.” It was uncomfortable and it made me feel trapped and awkward, which at the start of it made it a very jarring thing to see, but then I realized that’s how Nora feels, in life, her relationship, her situation. It definitely wasn’t my favorite part, but it’s the part that sticks with you, which to me means the director did their job. Also, the song being Man in Finance paralleling Nora’s search for the solution to her financial problem in title alone but also her wanting for something outside of everything that she already has was so funny and clever.
Also, completely unrelated to the play, we sat behind Daisy Ridley and it was the coolest thing ever. Not a word was said but it was cool nonetheless.
Theatre in London U of A 