A Doll’s House
A play by Henrik Ibsen, a new version adapted by Amy Herzog
Review by Ernest Edwards/Ernest Goes to the Theatre
I went to A Doll’s House on Tuesday October 7, 2025. The play runs through Sunday October 12, 2025. Not much time left to catch the opening play of the Guthrie Theater’s 2025/2026 season.
I really liked this new adaption. The language felt present day, and the pace of the story moved faster. It’s still Norway in 1879, so the periods costumes are nice to see, but the script feels refreshed. Still the same classic piece of theatre.
One attention to detail that I really liked was with Luciana Stecconi’s scenery. The play takes place around Christmas. The stage/exterior of the residence is covered with a blanket of snow. That was a really nice touch, in addition to the coats, hats and scarves the characters wore when they came in from the cold let’s the audience know the climate and time of year.
The story of Nora Helmer is still just a relevant today as it was when it first published in 1879. Nora is trying to find her place in life as a wife, a mother, and as a woman in society. She did something scandalous in the 1800’s. She saved her husband’s life. He was ill and needed to go to a warmer southern climate. She borrowed money for a trip to Italy. Her husband did get well from the trip. It was how she obtained the funds that is the root of the scandal. She forged her father’s signature as a guarantor on the promissory note. As her father was also ill around this time and did pass away himself. She dated his signature after his death.
Although she has been making payments on the loan. Her husband’s, Torvald Helmer, new position at the bank had prompted Nils Krogstad to use this loan as a ploy to get Nora to speak to Tovald to help Nils keep is position at the bank. Otherwise he will reveal the truth.
At the beginning of the play, Nora is light, gay and bubbly with her husband’s promotion, Christmas shopping for the children, and getting herself a sweet treat. She transforms multiple times throughout the play. To a worried wife trying to hold onto her life/home/husband/family, then to a woman who realizes it’s time to leave this marriage and figure out who Nora really is. She’s not her father’s doll anymore, and doesn’t want to be her husband’s doll either. She wants to be a woman. She wants to be her own person.
Amelia Pedlow gives an amazing performance as Nora. For the performance I went to, we had an understudy for Torvald played by Bill McCallum. I really liked his performance as Torvald. He and Amelia were great on stage as Nora and Torvald.
There’s lots of great information in the program about the play, the new adaptation and about Henrik Ibsen. It’s definitely a fun read before the play begins.
I did have a wild idea on Tuesday after the play. What if a production company did both A Doll’s House and A Doll’s House 2 in repertory? It’s the same scenery, just 20 or so years later. Maybe, maybe not. It’s a thought.
Check out guthrietheatre.org for tickets.
