” A Doll’s House”

[rating=4]Most theater audiences are familiar with Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll House”, a three act story dealing with love and hate, and relationships in general. Michael Halberstam and Sandra Delgado have adapted this play to a new, streamlined 90 minutes of solid theater and this version is now on the Gillian stage at their venue. This is the “black box” that they redo for every production.

The setting is still Norway and it is Christmas. Nora ( a powerful performance  by Cher Alvarez)is preparing for the festivities of the season. We learn of her devotion to her husband, Torvald (deftly handled by Greg Matthew Anderson), who is about to become the manager of the bank, which will put their family back into the world of financial freedom. In previous times, we learn that Torvald was unable to work and in order to keep their lifestyle, Nora borrowed some money to keep them going. It was not through a bank, but in fact through a money-lender, Krogstad ( brilliantly played by Adam Poss) who we learn more about as the play progresses.

I do not want to give away all the pieces of the puzzle as there may be some of you who are unfamiliar with “A Doll’s House”, but let me tell you that Krogstad is employed at the bank and that Thorvald has no intent on keeping him on in his position. Krogstad is trying to change his ways in order to raise his sons properly and no longer be the object of fingerpointing and ridicule. He attempts to blackmail Nora into saving his position or all will know about the loan he gave her, which was not above -board.

The other characters in this story are Christine ( the lovely Tiffany Renee Johnson) an old friend of Nora who at one time, we learn, was the lover of Krogstad and Dr. Rank ( Bradley Grant Smith) a good friend of Torvald and Nora. He comes by daily for his talks with Torvald, but in reality is in love with Nora. The last character of the play is Anne Marie (Amy J. Carle) who is the maid and who appears to know all of the tiny secrets contained in this household.

While we see Nora trying to protect her husband from Krogstad it seems that her reasons are more selfish than giving. In fact, when looking at the characters and what they say, one might say that they are all selfish, in their own ways. The play deals with truth and deceit between a wife and her husband. Does Nora want more than that? Does Torvald truly adore his wife, or is she the perfect mate for making him look good? Does Krogstad deserve a second chance at life? Can this group of people survive in a small town together, facing each other on a regular basis? Do Nora and Trovald truly love each other? Or are they using each other for purposes that are very selfish?

Just as Ibsen wrote, Halberstam and Degado bring the story to life in a shorter, easier to follow version sharply directed by Lavinia Jadhwani on a set designed by Arnel Sancianco. For this production , the Gillian is “arena style” so the action takes place surrounded by audience members and the intimacy of the theater brings us closer to the story. We are, in fact, the proverbial “fly on the wall”.

As always at Writers the tech aspects are sheer perfection. Izumi Inaba’s costumes are very 1800’s and striking. The lighting ( Sarah Hughey) perfect, the sound and original music (Thomas Dixon) quite fitting, setting tones and moods during this 90 minutes of theater and Rachel Watson’s props are amazing. Gaby Labotka handled the intimacy and fight movement ( this is something fairly new to theater) and Penny Lane Studios the wig and hair design. Some of the cast members for this production are making their Writers debuts and I am sure that they shall be seen there again. Ms. Alvarez is captivating on stage and her chemistry with all  the other  players is delightful to watch. Again, not wanting to tell you the end of the story, I will say that the last 70 seconds with only Nora is bone chilling in every way.

“A Doll’s House” will continue at Writers Theatre located at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe thru December 15th with performances as follows:

Tuesdays  7: 30 p.m

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 6 p..

Tickets range from $35-$80 and can be ordered by calling 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org or of course at the box office/theater.

Audience Engagement

On Tuesday, after the performance, a discussion group will meet

On Wednesday after the show, a 15 minute talk-back

The UP CLOSE pre-show conversation will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Patron’s Lounge

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “A Doll’s House”