
Ibsen’s classic, A DOLL’S HOUSE, dissects the picture of “perfect” family life in the last decade of the nineteenth century. In the Helmer household, everyone knew what was expected of him/her. Torvald (Griffin Taylor) was literally the head of the household, the man who made and enforced the rules by which the family lived. In exchange, he was expected to finance a comfortable life style for his wife and children. Nora (Emily Chapman) was the demure and efficient wife, a woman who metaphorically walked three paces behind her husband, agreed with and supported his every thought, and gave him a well-run home with well-behaved children and all the comforts which he might expect and even demand. Everyone knew society’s expectations – and woe betide anyone who chose to flaunt them.

Mara Weisband and Emily Chapman – Photo by Mia Christou
Then along came Norwegian Henrik Ibsen, an iconoclast who ripped the veil from the Victorian ideal and injected a substantial dose of reality into the picture. Based on the life of Laura Kieler, a good friend of Ibsen’s, who forged an illegal loan to save her husband’s life, Laura was the real-life Nora in A DOLL’S HOUSE. When the play premiered at the Royal Danish Theater in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1879, it caused a storm of outraged controversy that soon reached from the stage into society at large. A DOLL’S HOUSE was first presented in the U.S. in Kentucky in 1883; in 1889, it premiered on Broadway. The play has been adapted many times for film, with its first production a 1922 silent film, which has since been lost. In 1973, two film versions appeared starring Jane Fonda and Clair Bloom respectively. Time may pass and customs may change, but A DOLL’S HOUSE remains an intriguing study of family life at the turn of the century.

Mia Christou and Peter Zizzo in Hnath’s A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2 – Photo by Joshua M. Shelton
Clearly, the groundbreaking play struck a chord with playwright Lucas Hnath – and a sequel to the famed Ibsen play was the result. A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2 opens 15 years after Nora’s fateful decision to strike out on her own and find herself. Standing at the same doorway through which she exited 15 years before, Nora (Mia Christou) is now knocking to re-enter her former residence and the life which it represented. Little has changed in the Helmer household. Nanny Anne Marie (Lisa Robins) is still there after assuming the role of caretaker and mother-substitute for Nora’s children – now grown and ready to take on the adult roles which society has sketched out for them.

Torvald (Peter Zizzo), Nora’s ex-husband, remains alone while living out his unchanged and banal existence. Nora’s daughter Emmy (Tati Jorio) still lives at the family home while planning her own wedding to a banker. Will the prodigal Nora’s return make any difference in their lives? Or is Nora coming back for a reason – and not planning to stay? This reviewer suspects that Ibsen would smile and nod appreciatively if he could see this “sequel,” a play which truly does continue the tale of a talented woman confined to a cage built bar by bar by a closed society unwilling to offer equal opportunities to men and women. But, at the same time, a society which is certain that the caged bird sings.

Photo by Joshua Shelton
Kudos to directors Mia Christou (A DOLL’S HOUSE) and Allen Barton (A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2) for their clever and compassionate telling of these fascinating tales. From helming Ibsen’s Nora to becoming Hnath’s Nora herself, Christou exhibits a profound understanding of the conflicts involved. Both talented ensemble casts did a moving job of bringing this story from beginning to close. In fact, this reviewer has seen both plays before – but never together. Viewing them together was a stimulating and absorbing experience which offered new insights into the conundrums presented. After all, Ibsen was a man of his century, while the contemporary Hnath might be expected to see things very differently. From high drama to a biting comedy, the pair make for a captivating and entertaining evening.

Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and Lucas Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2” run through December 8, 2024. Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” performs at 8 p.m. on Fridays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Lucas Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2” performs at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $35 ($15 students with Code BHP20) for each play. The Beverly Hills Playhouse is located at 254 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. For information and reservations, call 310-620-1134 or go online. Tickets are also available for A DOLL’S HOUSE and A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2 through onstage411.
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