A Doll's House, Part 2 at NC Stage Co.
Bruce Steele: The debate Henrik Ibsen began about women trapped in unhappy marriages in 1879 continues in 2019 with A Doll’s House, Part 2, the Broadway hit that picks up 15 years after the end of the classic Norwegian drama. Did you feel like you needed to know the original to enjoy this North Carolina Stage Company production?
Edwin Arnaudin: Not at all. Acclaimed playwright Lucas Hnath sprinkles in some meta-humor for those familiar with Ibsen’s work (which I haven’t read since 2002), but his sequel is a standalone work that catches up all audiences quickly, efficiently, and thoughtfully.
Bruce: “Meta” is a good word for the show, which eschews the realism of the original for a kind of dream state in which the performers are more their “characters” than people grounded in a time and place — and hence more representative of their sex and status than of individual experience. It’s an impression underlined by Julie K. Ross’s minimal set design, which is a nearly empty room, and by Anne Thibault’s restrained direction: There is drama here, but it is judiciously doled out. Thibault’s focus is clarifying the evolving discussion of what Nora has done and the impact of her actions, both personal and societal. It’s a densely packed 90 minutes. How did all that talking strike you?
Edwin: I’ll admit that my mind wandered in the long speeches that Hnath gives each of his four characters, but otherwise its fairly rapid-fire dialogue kept me glued to the action. And it’s far funnier that I expected, too. Starting with one-liners from housekeeper Anne Marie (Jane Bushway) in the opening minutes, humor is prevalent throughout what’s overall still a firmly dramatic show, the greatest accomplishment of which may be its well-rounded examination of romantic relationships and their numerous pros and cons. Were you similarly taken with that focus?
Jennifer Austin and Charlie Flynn-McIver in A Doll’s House, Part 2 at NC Stage Co.
Bruce: Hnath’s writing is impressive, and often funny, and through his characters he parses the many implications of Nora’s actions, and the ripple effects on the world around her, with remarkable nuance. I think if your mind wandered, it may be because the play is more philosophical seminar than family saga, but it will engage any audience member who enjoys the challenging of received norms. My chief pleasure in this production, though, was as an actors’ showcase. Who stood out for you?
Edwin: Everyone. Granted, it’s merely a quartet, but each actor truly delivers a great performance and plays exceedingly well off one another. As Nora, Jennifer Austin carries the bulk of the dramatic weight, holding her own in face-offs with Bushway’s Anne Marie, Charlie Flynn-McIver as her ex-husband Torvald, and Emma Lenderman as her daughter, Emmy. All four get their chances to shine and also prove deft at telling facial reactions, especially the latter three as they listen to Austin’s pleas for help. It’s the definition of an ensemble effort.
Bruce: It’s not surprising that every actor in the Broadway production was Tony nominated, and if we had, um, Ashies for local stage shows, that could well happen here. If I had to choose, I’d hold out Flynn-McIver’s heartfelt, naturalistic performance — even in long silences, he’s deeply invested in his role — and Bushway’s Anne Marie, because she has the most entertaining opportunity to develop her character, starting with easy assumptions and then plumbing unexpected emotions.
Edwin: Similar layers are revealed in Lenderman’s Emmy, who provides arguably the most convincing and powerful counter statement to Nora’s stance on marriage. Hnath presents multiple sides yet doesn’t come down in clear favor of any as the definitive code of conduct, and A Doll’s House, Part 2 is all the more impactful for the ambiguity.
Bruce: I’m actually anxious now to see the original A Doll’s House again, not because of plot connections but because Part 2 is like a graduate-level breakout session that deconstructs and adds meaning.
Edwin: While the production likewise got me interested to revisit its predecessor — though perhaps not to your degree — I’m more moved to check out the prolific Hnath’s other plays, including The Christians, Hillary and Clinton, and the memorably titled A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney.
Bruce: I'd be happy to explore Hnath's other works as well, and maybe NC Stage Co. will book another down the line. Meanwhile, A Doll's House, Part 2 gives audiences plenty to admire. We haven't mentioned Victoria Depew's fine costumes — evocative of the alleged 1894 setting and yet also clearly in "quotes" — and Thibault's introduction of anachronistic elements, which may or may not be part of Hnath's "meta" concept, functioning as little jolts to remind us that what's happening on stage is as current as, say, a Starbucks cup of coffee. And just as steamy.
A Doll’s House, Part 2, runs through November 17 at North Carolina Stage Company in downtown Asheville. For details and tickets, visit ncstage.org.
(Photo: Courtesy of N.C. Stage Co.)
