The IRT’s latest offering, A Doll’s House, Part 2, explores what happens after Ibsen’s master work, A Doll’s House, ends. Lucas Hnath’s play isn’t a sequel as much as a continuation of the conversation between Nora and the family she left behind. Fifteen years after Nora slams the door on her stifling middle-class life, she comes back to a changed landscape. And the audience gets to listen in on hard truths being told.
Nora (Tracy Michelle Arnold) returns to the home and family she left, seeking a divorce from Torvald (Nathan Hosner). The nanny Anne Marie (Kim Staunton) has corresponded with her, and arranges for her to come to the house while Torvald is at work. There is some pleasant catch-up between them, with Nora revealing she’s become a best-selling author with a fictionalized version of her marriage and other novels. Anne Marie tells her that her older children have left the nest, and only Emmy (Becca Brown) remains at home. Then Torvald comes home unexpectedly and he and Nora’s reunion goes as one would expect — not well at all.
Nora’s explanations of why she left the family, Torvald’s bewilderment at having been left, Anne Marie’s suppressed anger at having to pick up the mothering burden (while giving her own child up to be raised by someone else), and Emmy’s revelation that she will choose a different path than her mother, combine with explosive force. We discover that the divorce Nora seeks means that she must accuse Torvald of abuse or a criminal act, or he must accuse her — this takes place in the 1890s, well before “no-fault” divorce. Either way, one of them will have their reputation ruined. Or, they can remain married, but then Nora will not have control over her works or income. The decision they settle on makes everyone concerned unhappy, and once again, Nora closes the door on her family.
James Still’s direction of this fine play allows the dialogue to do the heavy emotional lifting. A sparse set with double doors as a focal point keeps the play’s major theme of departure in the front of everyone’s mind. Turn-of-the-century costumes contrast with the modern (and strong) language of the play.
A Doll’s House Part 2 runs through April 7 on the IRT Mainstage. Tickets are available at irtlive.com or by calling 317-635-5252.
