A Doll’s House, Part 2 is a contemporary response to a classic play

Said to be about the pros and cons of marriage, A Doll’s House, Part 2 is about choices and trade-offs, how the pursuit of personal freedom might be invigorating but can have consequences and costs for those close to you.

On at the Baxter in Cape Town (heading to Joburg after) and under the capable direction of Barbara Rubin, the play engrosses from the start.

In a small intimate theatre, the raw emotion with minimal set design delivers maximum impact. Each of the four actors strike a chord raising varying ambiguities and ethical dilemmas, and add complexity with sharp and witty dialogue.

The original A Doll’s House written by Henrik Ibsen was first performed in 1879 and was considered a landmark in modern drama. It challenged the traditional roles of men and women in society and questioned marriage, stirring controversy as Nora leaving her family to pursue her own path was something of a revolutionary act.

Part 2 begins with Nora, who left her husband and three children 15 years ago to make her way in the world and “find herself” returning to the family home.

Nora comes back for a particular reason having blossomed on her own journey and is invigorated by her experiences and success. What she finds on her return are self-contained people she left behind but beneath the surface are seething feelings of hurt, anger and abandonment. One doesn’t have to have seen the first play to fully grasp the newer take written in 2017, and viewed through a contemporary lens.

Characters are played with astute voltage from Bianca Amato in a feisty performance as Nora (locally she’s been in Isidingo, Binnelanders and has years under her belt in New York ) and Zane Meas as her husband Torvald (7de Laan, The Storyteller of Riverlea) who adds vulnerability to the role;  as well as Charlotte Butler (Isidingo, Green Man Flashing) who plays the housekeeper Anne Marie with an endearing warmth and wisdom.

Simone Neethling (Arendsvlei, Romeo and Juliet, Maynardville) plays the daughter Emmy. Where Nora is full of fiery energy her family has kept a lid on their rage, her return sees them getting in touch with what they’ve pushed aside.

The play left me thinking of how leaving a family to pursue one’s own dream (especially for women as the primary caregivers) can be fraught. It sparks thoughts of people who have grand visions and want to change the world, but often at a cost where family can be pushed aside.

A squizz at the programme introduces SA audiences to Lucas Hnath, an award-winning American playwright known for his intellectually rigorous, morally complex and often provocative plays.

The play which premiered on Broadway almost a decade ago and received several Tony Award nominations, is produced locally by The Quickening Theatre Company, a not-for-profit theatre company dedicated to revitalising Shakespeare and other classical playwrights “in productions that resonate with us all and reflect the here and now”.

Rubin is an SA director based in New York, who most recently served as associate director to Conor McPherson on the Tony-award winning musical Girl from the North Country on Broadway and for its US national tour. She had a long-time collaboration with the late Athol Fugard, first as his assistant director and then later as dialect coach for all seven productions in his Signature Theatre Residency in New York, including the 2016 nominated revival of Master Harold … and the Boys. She is a respected dialect coach in the US with celebrity clients including Julia Garner for her roles as Ruth in Ozark and as Anna Delvey in Netflix’s Inventing Anna, as well as Daniel Radcliffe, Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard.

Rubin came back specifically to direct the play, after Amato asked her to.

“I always supported Bianca’s spectacular work in New York,” Rubin said. “We really only worked together once on Fugard’s The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek and not really directly as I was coaching the US actors. But we connected creatively. She was on fire. I was itching to direct her.”

Rubin was yearning to spend a little more time in SA close to her family. “I started dreaming of working in Cape Town again. It’s exciting that a new company is launching, I was thrilled to be asked.”    

The Quickening Theatre Company was formed last year by four women who are in the industry and who felt like they needed to take action to contribute to what is a very small world, says Amato.

“I’ve been away in New York for many years where there was a lot more work going on and when I came back to SA, I found I was twiddling my thumbs a bit in terms of theatrical work and thought ‘flippit, let’s do it’ and work towards something that is very exciting, fresh and also working towards excellence. And I’m a lover of Shakespeare and want, in the long-term, to do real SA Shakespeare,” said Amato, who is one of the co-founders.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 is The Quickening’s first fully produced production.

• A Doll’s House Part 2 is on at The Baxter until May 10 then heads to Joburg at Theatre on the Square in Sandton from May 14 to June 7.