Photo by Brigitte Lacombe

Fear not if you are somewhat unfamiliar with Henrik Ibsen's 1879 classic A Doll's House and its iconic characters. (A brief synopsis of that play is readily available for anyone who knows how to use a search engine)... All you really need to know is that infamous (and, at the time, scandalous) end to the play, where its leading lady Nora, suffocating in her marriage to Torvald, decides to leave him and her children in pursuit of a new life. This caused quite the stir in the late 19th century and now, thanks to the brilliant mind of young playwright Lucas Hnath, we can revisit these characters and discover whatever became of them after that most memorable of exits.

The play starts with a knock at the very same door Nora escaped fifteen years ago. (How could it start any other way?) Those theatre aficionados in the audience already give a knowing chuckle and have a fair idea, who is going to be behind that door. Nora has returned, now dressed as a wealthy lady, but we are mistaken if we think the reason behind it is to re-unite with Torvald. It turns out that the latter never actually filed for divorce all those years ago and Nora has unknowingly been breaking the law and living as a single woman all this time, signing contracts and taking lovers. She has become an extremely successful writer (under a pseudonym, of course) and her work has encouraged scores of women to follow suit and also leave their husbands. One of the abandoned gentleman happens to be a judge, who has discovered Nora's identity and secret and threatens to blackmail her, if she does not retract her life's work. She has returned to plead for Torvald to finally file for divorce... And let the mind games begin...

In this play, Hnath gives each of the four characters (Nora, Torvald, faithful nanny Anne Marie and Nora's daughter Emmy) a scene to dominate with their character's particular motive and their souls are consequently laid bare before us. Each of those scenes is signified by the character's first name being projected onto the set and sure enough, we see the inevitability of all these motives clashing with each other. Like a game of chess among equals, we are never sure of who will triumph and call "check mate!" thanks to the beauty of the writing and the four excellent performances by this most-accomplished ensemble of actors. Laurie Metcalf is a dynamo of emotions, stubborn, confident and desperate from one moment to the next, and her physical comedy is a master class, as each character catches her off-guard or begins to exhaust her. I am thrilled that Ms. Metcalf has finally and much deservedly won her elusive Tony Award! Chris Cooper gives a tremendously balanced performance as Torvald. Seemingly gentle-natured, it is all the more powerful when the stakes rise in his verbal battles with Nora. Jayne Houdyshell is both hilarious and heart-breaking as Anne Marie. She has an instant warmth to her which juxtaposes itself when she drops the occasional F-Bomb during her heated debates. And finally, with Condola Rashad's intelligent and nuanced performance as Emmy, you are never left with the thought that she, despite her younger age, is not an equal on this battlefield within the four walls of the room.

Read our exclusive interviews with Laurie Metcalf HERE and Jayne Houdyshell HERE.

Speaking of which, director Sam Gold - as is his trademark - has once again put together a kind of "bare essentials" production with very little props or set pieces. The walls of the room are generic and the few chairs and a table are modern. David Zinn's costume design, in contrast, is period and mixed together with Hnath's modern language, the effect is timeless. The themes revolving around women and around our relationships and desires explored in this play are as relevant today as they were at the end of the 19th century. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Click here for tickets to A Doll's House, Part 2 for performances through to January 7, 2018 at Broadway's Golden Theatre.

- by Tom Millward