A Doll’s House
Bringing elements of puppetry, dance and physical theatre, Space productions bring their adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House to the Arcola Studio.
However, Crampton’s main addition to A Doll’s House is also the most peculiar. Expressing Nora’s inner turmoil and dilemmas, she is accompanied at all times by three ‘Norns’; female entities from Norse mythology who controlled the fate of men, and who, in this adaptation, emerge to haunt Nora in her private moments. These physical, dance-based scenes are engaging in themselves, but do little to expand on Nora’s situation. Her predicament is that she must keep up this exhausting web of lies, the Norn scenes can seem conversely to relieve tension by over-exposing what‘s really going on.
The stage is littered with teacups, Christmas trees and other fragments of domestic life, with Torvald’s office imposing it’s presence from a platform in the corner. The faceless puppet children, while lovingly brought to life, are indicative of an environment that is over-stylized, and many of the lighting transitions are clumsy and over the top.
There are many fine performances in this piece, and by and large the twists of every scene are convincing and compelling. Emma Deegan shows dignity and brings a refreshing sense of perspective as Christine, and Dominik Golding as Torvald injects some much needed levity, while never caricaturing Nora’s orthodox husband.
Whereas many of the trimmings of this versions of A Doll’s House fail to hit the spot, the central story of Nora is effective, and crucially, this talented cast manage to accomplish Ibsen’s knotty and complex ending.
– Tom Sudron