Ibsen In Translation
The new version of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” doesn’t seem to work as well as previous ones have. The problem is not the acting. It’s with the actual production on a basic level. The new translation creates a play set in 1907 and puts in language that doesn’t work. It’s complicated and unclear and much too modern for these characters at that time of history. They have also shifted the tone and focus to a certain extent: there is less focus on the domestic side and on the wife, and more on the political drama involved. The transitions don’t quite work in the characters and so the production just doesn’t quite work. Perhaps it’s just the opinion of the reviewer, so you can see it for yourself!
