A Doll's House at La Boite

A Doll's House at La Boite

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Posted 2014-09-15 by Damsel Martinfollow

Sat 06 Sep 2014 - Sat 27 Sep 2014


Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House was first performed in 1879. And, after viewing the latest retelling of this classic tale of domestic skulduggery at La Boite as part of this year's Brisbane Festival , I have to report that I'm stunned by how little has changed.

Sure, women now have greater freedom in the workplace, but there's still no such thing as equal pay, or equal opportunities for that matter. The wonders of modern contraception mean women are now more in control of their fertility - but guess which gender is most likely to put their careers on hold, and their financial stability in peril, when members of their little brood do come along? Even those women who seem to have it all still feel trapped, enduring their suburban existence with the liberal assistance of potent little pills.


Nora Helmer (Helen Christinson), who bursts onto the stage in the finest pink frippery, is one of the latter. Her husband Torvald (Hugh Parker) is a successful banker. They have a lavish home presumably befitting their status, along with playful children who are heard but not seen in this production. But, as the play unfolds, we learn that the suburbs harbour deep, dark secrets; and we see people forced into desperate acts to keep their families and finances afloat.

Along the way, we meet Nora's friend Kristine (Cienda McNamara) who has made her own regrettable choices, Krogstad (Chris Beckey) who would probably have made a great Wolf of Wall Street had he strutted into a different era and Dr Rank (Damien Cassidy) who cuts a miserable, self-pitying figure who nonetheless boasts some of the best lines.


I did hear some grumbling from audience members about how the actors in A Doll's House rarely faced each other as they spoke and moved in a stilted, stylised, almost mechanised manner. But I did not find this disconcerting - rather, it added to the ethereal, other-worldly charm of this production. The effect was further enhanced by sumptuous costuming.

This visually beautiful version of A Doll's House comes courtesy of Australian playwright Lally Katz. It is masterfully directed by Steven Mitchell Wright - although the dark, Dickensian atmosphere led one wag to suggest it was actually Tim Burton (of Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride fame).



#brisbane_city
#festivals
#kelvin_grove
#performing_arts
#quirky
#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#september
!date 06/09/2014 -- 27/09/2014
%wnbrisbane
200015 - 2023-06-16 04:55:07

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