A riveting production that evokes the tragedy and intrigue of the original text in harrowing detail.
Read More »Tag Archives: Ibsen
An Enemy of the People, Union Theatre – Review
Pros: A couple of strong performances Cons: Wavering American accents, stodgy direction, humourless script In 1882 Henrik Ibsen, reeling from the public outcry over the sexual frankness in Ghosts, wrote An Enemy of the People about one man daring to speak the truth at any cost. In 1950 it was adapted by Arthur Miller, keeping strictly to the same plot and scene structure but removing some of the more unpalatable references to eugenics – and it’s Miller’s version that appears ...
Read More »The Wild Duck, Almeida Theatre – Review
Pros: The Wild Duck is a witty and inventive adaptation of Ibsen’s masterpiece. Cons: The play lacks in subtext and can sometimes feel more intellectual than emotional. Henrik Ibsen wrote The Wild Duck in 1884. He was white, Norwegian, and fifty-six. He had fathered an illegitimate child. His father was declared bankrupt. This is the truth, we are told, but from the very moment this word is uttered, at the beginning of the play, we are invited to question everything. What ...
Read More »Olaf, Barons Court Theatre – Review
Pros: Good to see an early Ibsen being staged. Cons: Early Ibsen sags in the middle. Ottisdotter Productions bring their focus to lesser known and obscure plays that emphasise the role of women in society. Having last been presented at London’s Adelphi Theatre in 1911, Henrik Ibsen’s Olaf belongs amongst the Norwegian master’s lesser known works, falling outside the 12-play ‘Ibsen Cycle.’ The version presented at Barons Court Theatre is an adaptation by ottisdotter of Anders Orbeck’s translation of Ibsen’s Olaf ...
Read More »Little Eyolf, Almeida Theatre – Review
Clean cut and accomplished but lacking something beneath surface.
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