Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:25pm

Anyone else love this scathing, angry play?

[Wicked_fan]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:29pm

I did.

Until college. Cause I've read it about 3 times in different classes, I also stage managed for the show...and I'm SO sick of it.

But it's a good play, very empowering for women, even though some will argue differently since she does leave her children and husband.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:31pm

Absolutely love it.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:33pm

Yes the fact that they have children does make it more interesting and adds more dimensions than would exist had she just been leaving Torvald.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:35pm

It's deservedly a masterpiece, but I wouldn't characterize it as "scathing" or "angry." It's always struck me as being tragic and deeply heartfelt. I recall that at the end of the acclaimed production of it from a decade ago starring Janet McTeer (who won the Tony), the ending was so emotionally shattering that several people were weeping around me. I don't remember much anger in that production or in any of the others I've seen (though I suppose that Torvald isn't exactly a happy camper -- but then he's an ass so who cares?).

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:41pm

I love this play.
Wasn't there talk of making a movie recently, with Kate Winslet as Nora? What happened to that?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:46pm

One of my favorite plays!

My first role in a straight play was when I was in 7th grade...I played the messenger boy that delivers the Christmas Tree. I had three lines.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:47pm

Margo, I agree. I never felt it was scathing or angry, just emotionally powerful.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:53pm

I had to read this play last semester and really liked it. The class discussion that followed tainted it for me, however. I was the only person in the class of 30 that felt that she was justified in leaving in the end, while everyone else thought she was being selfish. It was just really sad to see how little society has changed since this was originally written.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:56pm

Skittles, that's absolutely stunning. I guess we're not as progressive and post-feminist in educated circles as I like to think we are. Amazing that notions of a "woman's place" haven't evolved more in the past 100+ years since the play written.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 12:58pm

I also enjoyed it. My entire AP English class constantly referred to it as "A Dollhouse," but even the title is brilliant. It's both interesting and somewhat sad that the message still greatly resonates with today's society.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:03pm

Skittles & Margo---I think our modern American culture has become more judgmental and hypocritical in recent years. I'll bet that class was quick to pass judgment on Nora, yet at the same time, if they were faced with a similar situation in their own lives, they would have done the same thing... or even worse!

#1Elphie---I would love to see a really good film of this play. The previously filmed versions don't come close to doing it justice. Kate Winslet would be a good choice, but I think I'd also like to see Keira Knightly play Nora in a couple of years.

Updated On: 2/24/06 at 01:03 PM

[livelife]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:16pm

bit of trivia....(i had to study this play for a.s level drama, which is yr 12 in UK, im not sure what year that is in america) anyway, when this play was first showed to audience, Ibsen was forced to change the ending from Nora leaving, to Torvald forcing Nora down beside her childrens beds and her deciding to stay for the sake of the children. i think this play really does demonstrate many social factors and gender roles from when the play was set, i think it would go well on broadway for a few months

[wexy]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:19pm

I also got to see the Janet McTeer performance which was powerful.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:23pm

I saw a video of a German production of this show and it ended with Nora killing Torvald. It was an interesting take on the play!

[Phantom487]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:31pm

Have any of you ever hear of the modern version of the play called "Dollhouse" by Theresa Rebeck? I saw the world premeire in Hartford, CT, a few years back, and I have the script. It's a very new, yet very good take on it. It's set in the present day in Westchester. The names a all changed, except Nora & Kristine... Torvald is now Evan, Dr. Rank to Damien, Nils Krogstad to Neil Fitzpatrick.

Here is more info on it:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/58667.html
Updated On: 2/24/06 at 01:31 PM

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:31pm

Alright here is a question:

Would you consider Torvald to be an abusive husband of the emotional variety (He never physically harms her) or merely a "product of his time"?

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 1:31pm

I was shocked as well that they could all be so judgemental. I had to point out for them that fathers walk out on their families all the time and no one bats an eye. Even my professor jumped in and said that as a mother, she would never leave her children like this. I didn't bother pointing out to her that she has a job and her husband treats her as an equal, so she really can't compare her situation to Nora's (getting a good grade in the class was more immediately important, so I bit my tongue).

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 3:49pm

They are all a product of their time.

The most important thing to them is honor - Nora begins to ruin that.

What's interesting is that Krogstad is the antagonist but not the enemy.

Anyway, I don't really like this play. Probably because I have studied it so much - just finished studying it for the 100th time.

But, to think - it has one of the most popular sound effects. The door slamming at the end.

If done wrong, it would sound like Nora shooting herself.

The thing I most dislike about it is that Nora is so damn annoying.

P.S. I think she is justified for leaving at the end.
To people who say she is selfish and wasn't thinking about the children, I say this: A woman like Nora, with children, alone, would not survive. She was better off leaving them with Torvald and the nurse.

Updated On: 2/24/06 at 03:49 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 3:51pm

Hmm...I read this book for a project in high school. It was pretty good, not too difficult to interpret. I recommend reading this.

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 3:55pm

I studied this play last year in AP English and loved it. We also had a heated debate, but it turned out that it was split (I sat through two different classes of it, I just loved English). The thing that really surprised me was that two or three males thouoght the ending was appropriate, while in the second class I sat though, all the males were completely against it.

I actually ended up using this play for an essay on the AP test. So I am glad I read it. I would love to see it on stage or screen.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/24/06 at 3:57pm

I also saw the Janet McTeer production from the upper balcony and was riveted for every single second of the play. To me, it was the definitive Nora performance. Her rapidly escalating desperation and anxiety were palpaple throughout the theatre. It was a tour de force. The entire production was absolute perfection.

[Cenoern]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 12:01am

Hate this play, with a passion.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 12:22am

Why?

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 12:57am

I love this play--I've studied it twice and got something different out of it each time. The character of Nora is very annoying, but I feel (and a surprising amount of my classmates agreed) that she ws completely justified in leaving. She shouldn't have married him in the first place.

But as far as studying Ibsen goes, I think my favorite play of his is "Ghosts." We studied it my senior year and I remember being struck by how powerful it is.