A Doll's House

A Doll’s House, Ibsen’s famously humanist look at the roles of men and women in a typical nineteenth-century marriage. Nora Helmer is seemingly happily married to Torvald – But Nora has a secret that might disrupt their solid family life forever.  

The piece was held together by a strong cast of performers all round. Kieron Hammond made for an impressive Krogstad, a good grasp of his character, but needed to bring his head up so we could see his face full on. Steve Mills’ Torvald was outstanding in his unpleasantness, perfectly being the sugary and patronizing husband that stifles and oppresses. However, a standout performance was Clare Hall in the lead role of Nora. Effortlessly convincing throughout, she gave the audience an incredible portrayal of a woman in conflict with her duties to her husband, her duties to the law, and, ultimately, her duties to herself. Gillian Billing gave us a nice performance as Mrs. Linde - she gets her job and her man in the end. Jan Osborne and Caroline Dernoncourt gave fine support in the parts of Maid and Nanny.

A Solid set by Brian Hawkins, good period props Stewart Lock, and wardrobe by Janine Robins was very close to period. Jack Mallinson did an excellent job with direction, ensuring that the play was staged in an engaging way as possible. Overall, it was clear that great thought had gone into this production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House,and it was brought to life impressively through strong actors and a clear effort to evoke the era, which it was portraying. I do have two little ‘gripes’: modern glasses and male wrist bracelets, but thank you for a good all round Ibsen evening. 

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