OVER a few decades I’ve seen several productions of A Doll’s House, the classic play concerning female self-discovery by Henrik Johan Ibsen.
Whilst really because of the big-name casting, a couple are memorable; in honesty most were forgettable. Putting ‘A Doll’s House’ into a season was once described to me by a prominent city arts director as quickest way to empty the house!
Then along comes playwright Stef Smith with her visionary 2019 version and here I am at a Crescent Theatre Sunday matinee that’s enjoying near capacity audience.
Rather than turn in his grave, I am sure the long-deceased Ibsen – himself a pioneer for drama realism – would give Smith’s take an enthusiastic ‘bravo!’
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. sIn essence, Smith takes Nora, Ibsen’s main protagonist and has her living three simultaneous ‘groundhog’ days in three different time zones 1918, 1968 and 2018 – with three different actresses playing the same role. Plus, they all get to stay on stage at the same time breathing the same theatrical air.
The three principal women are dynamic, as solo actors and by feeding and supporting each other make a rare trilogy of perfection. Lydia White (refined yet rebellious Nora 1918), Chloe Potter (swinging 60s sexual revolutionary Nora 1968) and Vicky Youster (Potty mouthed borderline feminist Brummie Nora 2018). Additionally, they all also get to play Nora’s best friend Christine.
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. sTom Lowde as Nora’s husband Thomas masterfully switches accents and colloquialisms whilst keeping the same mood and meaning twixt his Nora’s. Lou Styles captures the blackmailing bad boy Nathan with degrees of wickedness to suit the era whilst the charismatic Luke Plimmer is equally three times tragic as the hapless Daniel.
It takes a skillful director to knit together such a complex scenario and to hold the interest of an audience without an intermission – hats off to Steph Urquhart who not only has drawn top drawer performances from a talented company but makes the best use of studio space I have seen in an age. From every position you are totally immersed. Her sense of pace is what keeps us hanging on every word.
Keith Harris provides a simple but effective set, there’s a superb lighting design by Chris Briggs, costumes that are welcome flag posts to time zones from Pat Brown and team and a haunting underscore again from director Urquhart – all of which combine to make this meld comfortably.
Ibsen’s Nora leaves the marital home for an unknown future, so too do Stef Smith’s trio – but what the future holds for any of them is left for us to ponder. Worldwide of course female equality still has mountains to climb.
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. s‘Nora: A Doll’s House’ is an exquisite reimagining and this production of it is a stunner from a company in perfect synergy – it simmers, bubbles, finally exploding when it reaches its theatrical boiling point.
This Season in the Ron Barber Studio just keeps getting better. Theatre lovers: fill your boots!
Nora’s A Doll’s House at Birmingham’s Crescent Theatre runs until Saturday, March 22. Click here for times, tickets and more information.
