Henrik Ibsen’s classic,A Doll’s House, will be hitting the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre this July and August. Those familiar with the play will know of the controversy it caused due to its critical portrayal of marriage norms and gender relations during the 19th century. Despite being over 130 years old, the story is undoubtedly still relevant to a modern audience. Director Adam Cook has made sure of this – he’s adapted the play personally.
Originally performed in 1879, much of the initial contention around A Doll’s House was a reaction to its feminist themes, personified in the character Nora Helmer. Cook explains, “People were so affronted by Nora’s behavior. Even one of the original actresses who played the part demanded that the ending be changed. She just couldn’t play a character who would do that. In fact, Ibsen did do a rewrite, but when he talked to his wife about it, she said, ‘Well if Nora doesn’t leave, I will.’”
Cook adds that despite the drastic change in time period, the climax – and the play in general – will continue to make an impact today. “It’s still a very shocking moment, no matter what century you live in. It feels so fresh and the arguments are so pertinent to the lives we’re living now.”
Nora’s struggle and path to self-discovery should by no means only be relatable to women. The difficulties she has are a metaphor for a far more universal problem that we’re still dealing with today. “It’s not just about the challenges of womanhood in a masculine world, it’s also a play about intolerance and people’s lack of empathy for any other point of view besides their own,” says Cook. “That’s the world we’re still living in. There’s no openness about alternative ideas. You see the internal destruction done to people when they’re controlled by other people’s ideas and not allowed to express themselves.”
Even the play’s title implies this context of control and forced perfection. It may seem like the pressure to present acceptable versions of ourselves has lifted – particularly due to the significant societal, moral and religious changes that have occurred since the 19th century – but Cook believes this aspect of the play is still incredibly apt.
“That was what was really apparent, just working on it ourselves. Everybody was thinking how spot on it is in terms of what was happening then, of course, but also for us. It’s a mirror of our contemporary world.”
This is particularly true for women, who are still pressured to act, dress and speak in certain ways in order to be considered ‘attractive’ and ‘feminine’. “What kind of censoring and self-censoring do women [still] experience?” asks Cook. “What kind of psychic landscape is created in women as a result of having to have relationships with men, and even their own sex?”
Cook adds that it’s because of the aforementioned mirror image that he chose to set the play in its own period. “Rather than set it now and have people say, ‘Oh, well it’s a contemporary play about a marriage.’ But when you know it was written 130-odd years ago and you see the world they’re living in, you’re invited to reflect on whether anything has changed or how it has changed. How far have we come? How far do we have to go?”
A Doll’s Houseis playing atReginald Theatre, Seymour Centre fromThursday July 17 until Saturday August 2, tickets available online.
