High Plains Reader Review

While perusing the Web, I stumbled across this review of A Doll's House from the June 23, 2005 issue of the High Plains Reader:

"Classic Norwegian Play Presented"
By Christopher E. Jacobs
Grand Forks Editor

Last weekend the Fire Hall Theater in Grand Forks had a special three-night run of the classic Henrik Ibsen “modern” drama A Doll’s House. The strong cast included regular Fire Hall Theater actors along with performers from the Hatton Community Theater and former Grand Forks actresses back in town before the fall college semester begins.

Directed by Adonica Schultz Aune, the production was carried by its earnest performances, with RaeAnn Levang standing out as Nora. John Thompson handled the difficult role of her husband Torvald with a controlled theatricality that fit the part. The two leading characters are written as such heavy-handed stereotypes that it takes superior stage presence to draw the viewer into the plot, and after a slow, contrived exposition (again inherent in the script), the show soon became an engrossing tangle of complications.

Bob Seidel made a touching Dr. Rank, with Kathy Tingum and Kevin Moberg both quite effective as Kristine Linde and Nils Krogstad. Also in the cast were Betty Gard, Marie Hjelmstad, Dave Nash, and little Suzanna, Abigail, and Hillary Moberg.

Long held up as an early example of influential feminist literature and realistic drama, the 1879 play is still deeply rooted in 19th century theatrical convention. Today it is more likely to come across as quaintly dated melodrama to viewers unfamiliar with the theatrical style. When viewed (or read) against the context of other popular plays from the mid to late 19th century, however, one can easily see how shock A Doll’s House must have been to audiences of the time.

The most interesting characters are actually the supporting leads, and the relationship between Kristine and Nils has enough material for an entire play or novel of its own, as does the Dr. Rank character and his repressed, unrequited love for Nora, his best friend’s wife. Nora and Torvald might easily be only a minor subplot in another writer’s handling of the basic story elements.

It is good to have the opportunity to see plays that have become part of the “essential” canon of theatre, both for reevaluating their place in that canon and for the reminder of how little some things have actually changed throughout history, even if the styles of expressing them have.