I, for the record, never thought you were dead—a lot of people thought you were dead, other people, not Torvald and the kids of course, but a lot of people think you’re dead.
– Anne Marie –
After CBS News Sunday Morning covered A Doll’s House, Part 2 back in June, I hoped I might catch this play. Then, TodayTix offered fee-free tickets during the week of July 4, so I grabbed a $29 ticket for the matinee on July 5th.
Playwright Lucas Hnath offers an unofficial sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, imagining the return of Nora—played by Tony Award winner Laurie Metcalf—15 years after she left her husband and children with the slam of a door.
Not wanting to spoil anything major, here’s a brief synopsis:
In Hnath’s Part 2, Nora Helmer must acquire something that can only be obtained from her ex-husband, leading to her return to her former household. She ends up meeting the old nursemaid Anne Marie, her now grown daughter Emmy, and her ex-husband Torvald. Understandably, Nora’s return is met with varying levels of bewilderment, incredulity, and anger by those she’s left behind as she attempts to justify her past actions alongside her current ones.
The play takes a lot of liberties with its source material, using more humor and modern speech, which made me concerned I’d have a hard time sticking with this addition to Ibsen’s work. These concerns dissipated thanks to the cast’s brilliant work as I soaked in this fanfic, if you will, played out onstage.
Like its inspiration, A Doll’s House, Part 2 doesn’t present viewers with a sole message to takeaway. Rather, the audience must tackle each character’s respective arguments and motives on their own. Thus, audience members leave the play with varying conclusions and meanings.
As stated before, I enjoyed the played. My only issue was, being seated in the rear mezzanine, I couldn’t fully take in the actors’ expressions as they delivered their fluid lines and jagged zings. A pair of opera glasses would have been just the accessory and I am now tempted to purchase them for future theater performances, no matter how ridiculous I might* look.
*As I typically look ridiculous on some level, I’m starting to think being seen with a pair of opera glasses affixed to my face might give me an air of respectability I believe I’m often lacking.
※ Information:
- Site: Broadway.com – A Doll’s House, Part 2
- CBS News Sunday Morning: “A Doll’s House, Part 2”: The return of Nora
- Location: John Golden Theatre
- Address: 252 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036
- Duration: 1 hr 30 min
- Intermission: None
- Ticket Price: $29
- Source: TodayTix App
Laurel, Annotated 