This friday night we went to see Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House at The Almeida theatre. This theatre is regional and super intimate in the London Borough of Islington.
Going into this show I had previously read the script and wasn’t rather fond of it. One of the main things was that it just felt so boring and like it didn’t hold much of a story. I knew this production was going to be modern but I had no idea how different it would end up being.
As soon as the play opened and Nora started cussing I knew we were in for a ride. One of the main themes of the show is how Nora is “caged like a bird” she is kept in her house and her husband makes her up to be a doll, hence the name Dollhouse. In this version however I feel like sooo much of that plot was lost- the only thing the director and designer did to display this was make Nora hardly leave the basement. Overall in this show Tovalt really was not a problematic person, different from the original I actually didn’t hate his character or feel like he was manipulating Nora. The whole Dollhouse theme was lost for me until the very end- but then at that point it’s like, if you’re not gonna carry that theme throughout it feels pointless.
Design wise I actually really enjoyed the emptiness of the set and the actor did an absolute fabulous job! I wished there was a little more to the lighting design but I did think the costume design was fairly well done.
Overall I will say that, while I was bored reading the original script, I was not bored watching this play. I was too busy waiting to see what other random tiktok songs they would add into it and attempt to connect with younger audiences. I think aggressive adaptations of these classic plays is just something I’m not necessarily into. BUT it was a super fun experience and a great laugh with my friends.
-Erin
Theatre in London U of A 