The White River Valley Herald

Bringing Life to ‘A Doll’s House’

REVIEW


Certainly your English teachers alerted you to the importance of paying attention to the title an author chooses. So what would you expect if you were going to see a play with the title “A Doll’s House”?

A dollhouse is a plaything, a setting for young children to act out fantasy stories. It can also be the product of a craftsman, with every detail tended to and deliberately chosen. Finally, it is a home for dolls, only brought to life when under the control of others. In Northern Stage’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” all three definitions are at work.

Your senses awaken the moment you enter the theater space. The proscenium, the “frame” of a traditional set, is cardinal red. The set itself is dark yet reflective. Very spare piano notes punctuate the atmosphere. Everything creating the space is deliberate, controlled. You are being presented with a puzzle, and putting the pieces together makes for a delightfully rich journey.

The curtain opens on Nora entering her home from a holiday shopping excursion, a celebration of her husband Torvald’s promotion at the bank, marking the end of financial scraping for this couple in the late 1800s.

Torvald enters, and oozes joy, at his wife’s appearance, her holiday shopping, his promotion. A careless observer could feel that this is true marital bliss. But actor Jeffries Thaiss presents a husband whose energy resembles something more akin to a game-show host, always on but never real.

It’s a heavy lift for an actor to portray a character who himself is playing a role, and Thaiss brings an impressive set of vocal and physical skills to the part.

But this is ultimately a play about Nora. It’s “A Doll’s House” after all, even if it proves to be a house of cards.

She is a pet, not a person, and Ibsen’s clever dialogue alludes to that in numerous ways that are fun to listen for. But a reunion with Kristine, a childhood friend, sets in motion the winds of change which will grow cyclonic.

Kristine married for security, but her husband left her “with nothing, not even sorrow.” This intimate sharing, the first time I saw two characters on stage genuinely look at each other, leads Nora to share her deep secret as evidence of her love for Torvald. This secret is the ticking clock for how the rest of the plot will unravel.

Watching Olivia Gilliatt’s work as Nora is a real treat. Gilliatt creates a character difficult to like, at least 138 years after Nora was given life. But two days after seeing the show, I’m still puzzling over just who she was, a puzzle which stands in sharp contrast to what felt like a play so full of conscious choices.

And I love that!

The role of Nora is seen as one of the most challenging roles available to a woman, and Gilliatt proved herself worthy.

Kristine’s role, only partially revealed in this review, also requires nuance and gravity to work, and L.A.-based actress Hannah Chodos offers a richly textured, enigmatic portrayal.

Dartmouth graduate Matthew Cohn gives a telling performance as the play’s “bad boy,” creating a human being who inspires deep dislike in Act 1, and sympathy at the end. The final cast member, Gordon Clapp, who is delightful as Dr. Rank, will get more thoroughly reviewed in two weeks, when we’ll come see his solo performance in “Robert Frost: This Verse Business.”

This show is worth the drive, worth the ticket price, and worth seeing with friends. It is rare to see such a skillful blend of sets, props, costumes, lighting, sound, choreography, and directing. Ultimately, congratulations must go to director Eric Bunge, who also helped create the first Ibsen Festival in Minnesota. “A Doll’s House” runs through October 29 at the new Barrette Center for the Arts in downtown White River Junction. For exact performance dates and times, and to order tickets, visit www.northernstage.org, or call 802-296-7000.

Leave a Reply