INDIANAPOLIS — This spring, the Indiana Repertory Theatre will produce the Indiana premiere of one of the most produced shows across the country, Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2. Straight from Broadway, this funny and deadly serious exploration of divorce, family and lost love will be directed by IRT’s playwright-in-residence James Still and run March 12-April 7 on the OneAmerica Mainstage.
The inspiration for playwright Lucas Hnath’s work is Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 A Doll’s House, a revered, controversial and groundbreaking play focused on feminism, marriage, and societal expectations — themes which continue in Part 2 and are still relevant today, 140 years after the original was written.
Ibsen’s version ends with the “slam heard around the world” as the main character Nora leaves behind her domestic life in pursuit of identity and independence, and A Doll’s House, Part 2 starts with a knock at that same door 15 years later. What happens throughout the play is a fierce and funny five-round boxing match as the characters explore and engage their feelings and each other during an unexpected reunion.
An expertly crafted production that does not require its original to exist wholly on its own, A Doll’s House, Part 2 weaves together humor, modern language, conflict, and social issues for a theatrical experience that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Tickets are available online at irtlive.com or by calling 317-635-5252. Indiana Repertory Theatre is located at 140 W. Washington St.
