Stage Review - A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Tacoma Little Theatre)
Stage Review - A Doll’s House, Part 2
Presented By: Tacoma Little Theatre (TLT) - Tacoma, WA
Show Run: January 26 - February 11, 2024
Date Reviewed: Friday, January 26, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
The first question I had when I saw A Doll’s House, Part 2 on Tacoma Little Theatre’s (TLT) post-holiday schedule was, and as I’ve heard more than a few ask, will I have needed to see Part 1 to understand what the heck is going on in Part 2? Part 1, called simply A Doll’s House and written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, premiered in 1789, so I should have had plenty of time to see it. The original was also part of the TLT calendar during the 2018-19 season, so regular patrons at the venue may have seen it, and therefore, should be ahead of the game, at least compared to me. I did do a little cheating (via my good friend Wikipedia), enough to know I should actually be ok, so I entered into Friday’s opening night performance with the resolution that while I may not understand all of the characters’ backstories, the story should take care of itself, and luckily for my sake, Wikipedia was right.
Without going into a lot of detail about A Doll’s House, or even necessarily about the plot of Part 2 (no spoilers here!), it’s safe to just say that at the end of the original, Norwegian mother of three Nora Helmer walked out on her family, her children and husband Torvald. There has been a lot of speculation about what happened to Nora, the prevailing theories all frankly leaning toward nothing good. Times were hard for women in the Norway of Nora’s time, it was challenging enough for her to make any headway within her household, so it would stand to reason that it would even be more difficult without. American playwright Lucas Hnath pondered the same thing, and wondered what if that wasn’t the case at all, what if Nora had actually become successful in her own right after leaving, and what would happen subsequently if she came back to visit the household and family she left after fifteen years, in 1894? Well, that is the general premise of A Doll’s House, Part 2, written by Hnath, and on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre through February 11. This production, directed by Marilyn Bennett, who coincidentally directed A Doll’s House when it was onstage six years ago at TLT, focuses only on four major characters in the Doll’s House “world”, Nora, Torvald, Anne Marie, the Helmer’s long suffering housekeeper, and daughter Emmy. The other children are mentioned, but are not actually characters in the play. Hnath has structured Part 2 into scenes, five in total, four of which dive into the impact Nora’s leaving had on the particular character the scene focuses on, starting with Nora herself, then Torvald, Anne Marie, and finally daughter Emmy. But that’s not all, of course. Each scene doesn’t just provide the perspective of the individual character, but by doing so also provides perspective, something for the audience to consider, perhaps in a way they hadn’t thought about. It’s a smartly designed piece that is thought provoking, but it’s also quite funny.
In this version of Nora’s story, and seemingly against all odds, she has found success as an author. Her book questions the institution of marriage and challenges this tradition as archaic and something that doesn’t make sense to her and in her mind shouldn’t make sense to others. This is the quandary brought up this first scene, and it is an extremely timely one, as more and more people in our modern society are asking the same sorts of questions. She poses quite the argument, and is very convincing, much of this having to do with Annie Katica Green’s portrayal. This whole story, regardless of whose perspective it’s being told from, is all about Nora, and this production, in my eyes, is all about Annie, she’s that good. There is so much I love about this portrayal, not the least of which is the independent manner in which her Nora carries herself. Perhaps it’s that Annie is reprising this role, having played Nora in the TLT production of A Doll’s House back in 2019 that makes her seem so comfortable with it, but at the end of the day, it’s clear that she understands the assignment. Annie’s Nora is self-assured, she says what she means, sits how she wants to sit, and generally does what she wants. It’s something that might not be so off the wall today, but in 1890s Norway, it was certainly risky. As Hnath moves from scene to scene, the audience is introduced to Torvald (Sean Neely), Anne Marie (Dana Galagan), and finally Emmy (Brookelyne Peterson), and as it does move along, Nora’s attitudes, as well as the entirety of her new persona, are challenged. The audience is asked to consider alternative perspectives, how behavior is guided not by personal feelings, but rather societal norms, the importance of taking responsibility for one’s choices, and how live a life guided by empathy. Each actor portrays his or her character extremely well, including Sean Neely, who is also reprising his role as Torvald. There is a chemistry between Sean and Annie that is clear, even though their characters don’t really see eye to eye throughout the show. Sean’s Torvald is clearly hurt, confused, and abundantly sad. He’s nervous and a bit jittery, and clearly has emotions below the surface that, at first, he doesn’t let escape, but when he does, that’s when Sean really comes into his own in this role. Anne Marie, the household’s maid, in contrast to Torvald, isn’t afraid to say what she thinks, and Dana Galagan’s delivery is spot on. She’s terse, to the point, and where much of the humor in this show comes from. Anne Marie has a different point of view concerning Nora’s departure and subsequent return, and the scenes where she goes toe to toe with Nora are some of the most engaging in the show. Rounding out the cast is daughter Emmy, played by Brookelyne Peterson. Brookelyne’s performance is right in line with her character, it is mature and refined. This is all about posture, tone, and confidence, and Brookelyne has that in spades. Emmy also has a unique position on the relationship with her mother, and about marriage, and isn’t afraid to challenge Nora with it. True that neither Dana nor Brookelyne were in the 2019 production of A Doll’s House at Tacoma Little Theatre, but to see them here, acting alongside Annie and Sean, you’d never know that they haven’t been playing these parts just as long.
A show like A Doll’s House, part 2, is led primarily by its actors and their direction. Marilyn Bennett has done a fine job here, creating a production that spotlights a cast that brings all of the heart and humor that Lucas Hnath intended, and it’s clear that she understands the characters and is all in on her storytelling. Her creative team supports this play nicely, with excellent period costuming from DCM Costumes, a simple but effective scenic design from Erin Manza Chanfrau, based on Blake R. York’s original design from A Doll’s House, providing another level of continuity from the original, and sound and lighting from Dylan Twiner. It’s a well presented show that puts the cast at the forefront, exactly where it should be.
A Doll’s House, Part 2, Lucas Hnath’s sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1789 play about a woman struggling against the patriarchy to find her own voice, is the latest production on the Tacoma Little Theatre stage. Part 2 takes Nora’s story to a new place, one that Ibsen might not have even thought of, but one that allows Hnath to ask the audience to consider an empathetic view on multiple perspectives of one event. It’s an actor’s play and director Marilyn Bennett lets the group she has assembled shine in this funny and thought provoking piece of theatre.
A Doll’s House, Part 2 runs onstage at Tacoma Little Theatre through February 11. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://www.tacomalittletheatre.com/. Note that this production contains adult language and may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Photo credit: Dennis K. Photography
