Review: A DOLL’S HOUSE at The Gamm Theatre

A Doll's House is Henrik Ibsen's once-controversial play about a family struggling through a father's tenuous hold on mental health and a mother's secrets and lies. Perhaps the most controversial theme in Norway in 1879 is that women should be expected to be treated as partners, as complete human beings, in a marriage.

FrEd Sullivan, Jr. directs Jeanine Kane as Nora, who, in this production, is an American suburban housewife living in the late 1950's, looking after her increasingly successful, but emotionally fragile husband and their two children.  Nora does not work outside of the home and has created a light-hearted, flitty, version of herself to present to her husband Torvald (Steve Kidd) and their friends and business associates, including their neighbor, Dr. Rank (Tom Gleadow).

Truthfully, for years, Nor has been hiding the fact that she borrowed money from a loan shark (Tony Estrella as Mr. Krogstad) to pay for a long, restful, holiday that she seems to have to keep convincing herself saved her husband's life. She also forged her dead father's signature, as co-signer, on the promissory note held by Mr. Krogstad.  Much of the money she continuously borrows from her husband has been going to pay her debt. Mr. Krogstad, Nora inconveniently learns, has just been fired from his job at the bank, by her husband.

Mr. Krogstad tells Nora that unless she can convince her husband to re-hire him, he will go public; not only with the fact that Nora has deceitfully has borrowed the money, but also that Nora has committed a serious crime with her forgery. 

As the play wraps, Nora's deceit has been revealed to her husband, whose career / life may be ruined.  There are a few intense, real, engaging, moments on stage as the story whips towards its conclusion.

Gamm's Artistic Director Tony Estrella adapted Ibsen's work for this production.  Estrella has done a first cull of unnecessary characters, cutting the cast by half.  I think it could be cut almost in half, once again. The tone he and FrEd Sullivan, Jr. create for the production can be described as "Ibsen as Albee".  It is an interesting, though unrealized, concept. Early on, Torval questions Nora on whether or not she has, against his wishes, gone to the bakery and spent money frivolously on macaroons.  This minor confrontation should be filled with dreaded anticipation, with double-meaning and with heavy silence as Nora tries to placate and outwit her husband.  It, like much of the play's emotional heft, just isn't there.
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A Doll's House runs through February 20, 2010 at the Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St. Pawtucket, RI.  Tickets are $30 - $40 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 401-723-4266 or by visiting www.gammtheatre.org.

Photo:  Steve Kidd and Jeanine Kane in A Doll's House

Photo by: Peter Goldberg; courtesy of The Gamm Theatre

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