Free Newsletter
Listen to this article
The Huntington Theatre Company presents the iconic classic drama A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Bryony Lavery, and directed by Boston favorite Melia Bensussen (Awake and Sing!, Luck of the Irish, and Circle Mirror Transformation at the Huntington). Performances run January 6 – February 5, 2017 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre.
Nora and Torvald Helmer are living their dream life: happily married with children and security. When Nora risks her reputation to save her husband’s life, the consequences test the limits of their love. In an acclaimed new translation by Bryony Lavery, Ibsen’s powerful, groundbreaking classic about marriage, money, and equality remains as compelling and relevant as ever.
Henrik Ibsen is considered the father of modern drama and one of the most important playwrights of all time. A Doll’s House was Ibsen’s international breakthrough hit and the show is still widely regarded as a landmark production. Bryony Lavery is an award-winning British dramatist who has written over 20 plays, including the prized play Frozen. The London Telegraph calls Lavery’s adaptation of A Doll’s House, “an undoubted masterpiece. Lavery’s subtly modern version gets to the heart of the matter.”
“Melia Bensussen is a great interpreter of classic plays and has the ability to tell intimate family stories that connect with our shared human experience,” says Artistic Director Peter DuBois. “Plus, she has assembled a sexy group of actors to shake the dust off of an iconic story we think we know. Is it hot in this theatre or is it just this cast?”
“I am thrilled to be back at the Huntington working on a play that so brilliantly exposes the challenges of marriage and speaks with surprising eloquence to us,” says director Melia Bensussen. “Ibsen is not only writing about a woman’s need for independence, but about how we all struggle to be our genuine selves while meeting the needs of our society and our relationships. In Bryony Lavery’s adaptation, the marriage of Torvald and Nora reflects our contemporary liaisons, with their challenges and compromises.”
Andrea Syglowski (Elliot Norton Award winner for Venus in Fur at the Huntington) plays Nora Helmer, a seemingly happy wife and mother of three children. Casting for Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, will be announced soon. Nora’s childhood friend Christine Linde is played by Marinda Anderson (A Life and Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons) and Torvald’s colleague, Krogstad, is played by Nael Nacer (Bedroom Farce; The Seagull; Come Back, Little Sheba; Awake and Sing!; and Our Town at the Huntington). Jeremy Webb (Private Lives at the Huntington and The Visit at Signature Theatre and on Broadway) plays Nora and Torvald’s good friend, Dr. Rank, Adrianne Krstansky (Come Back, Little Sheba at the Huntington and 365 Days/365 Plays Off Broadway) plays the Helmer’s nanny, Anne-Marie, and Lizzie Milanovich (That Time the House Burned Down at Fresh Ink Theatre) plays the Helmer’s maid, Helene. Nora and Torvald’s children will be played by Kinsaed Damaine James, Zoë Adams Martin, Gavin Walker, and Elise Walker. John Tracey is the understudy.
