Sequel to Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ imagines Nora’s next steps
A FOLLOWUP OF THE IBSEN PLAY IMAGINES THE PROTAGONIST’S NEXT STEPS
The conclusion of Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s House” ends with a door being slammed, as the character of Nora departs from the stage and her family.
What happens after that is the subject of a new play, starting with a knock on that same door. “A Doll’s House, Part 2” revisits the same characters from the Ibsen original about a woman shackled in a kind of domestic prison imposed by the society around her.
The story after the story is the fall production of Hudson Stage in Armonk, and it will put four actors through a demanding and emotional 90minute frenzy of fastpaced dialogue.
The new play opens with the entrance of the character of Nora Helmer, returning to the home from which she exited 15 years earlier and facing the recriminations of the husband she left behind. The drama, written by Lucas Hnath, imagines that Nora has become a novelist and early feminist.
“It’s contemporary, it’s timeless and it really deals with some profound issues,” says Denise Bessette, who plays Nora and acts as the play’s coproducer.
The play has a way of provoking thought, in a decidedly evenhanded way, she said. “There’s a case made for every single character in the play — you can see everyone’s side, it’s so well crafted, so well written. When I saw it on Broadway, I loved it, and wanted to do it,” says Bessette.
Bessette said she had to prepare herself mentally and physically for the role, one of the most demanding she’s ever faced as a stage actor with a long resume.
“It’s a marathon sprint, I never leave the stage. For 107 pages, I have to be fully present, and have all my focus and energy, and giving my all. By the end of the day, I’m wiped out, but it’s so gratifying. I feel like I’m learning to be an Olympic athlete,” she says.
The actress learned all her lines before rehearsals began — she went “off book,” in acting parlance, performing from memory rather than reading from a script.
“I knew I had to focus on the character and the relationships. I really wanted to have that technical part of it done. It was essential,” she recalls.
Bessette delved deeply into the character of Nora and the milieu that was created for her in the “Part 2” sequel to the Ibsen classic, which caused a sensation when it was first performed in 1879 at Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. “It’s a helluva lot of fun, and I love her so much, and what the writer is saying,” the actor said.
Like earlier productions at the Hudson Stage, the show will showcase the talents of seasoned stage actors.
The character of Torvall — Nora’s husband — is played by an accomplished Shakespearean actor, Kurt Rhoads. He and his wife of 36 years, Nance Williamson, appear regularly together at the The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.
The two met when they were cast as Orlando and Rosalind in a Texas production “As You Like It.”
“The director told us we didn't have any chemistry,” Rhoads recalled in a recent interview with NPR. The two got married six months later and have been acting together ever since. Rhoads appeared in a Broadway production of “Julius Caesar,” starring Denzel Washington.
Now it its 21st season, the Hudson Stage company has specialized in contemporary works of drama. It had a policy of doing only brand new works, with a goal of giving theater lovers in the northern suburbs of New York and Connecticut the ability to see shows not long after runs on Broadway or other theater capitals. The company isn’t strictly staging premieres anymore, but all their productions are current and contemporary.
“I want to do plays that are new to the audience. People might have seen them on Broadway, but the idea is to bring a new play, or a reinterpreted one,” says Bessette.
The reimagined “Dollhouse” sequel earned solid reviews when it was staged on Broadway, and the writing was cited for its humorous and thoughtprovoking interplays. It was described as a “smart, funny and utterly engrossing new play” in the New York Times.
It may leave her drained and exhausted, but Bessette said she can’t wait to get into character for the upcoming performances, and it’s likely that theatergoers will have plenty to talk about once the curtain falls.
“It’s so intricate, the dialogue bouncing back and forth, and so modern,” said the stage actress. “It’s taking place in 1895, but it’s as if it’s happening now.”
“I KNEW I HAD TO FOCUS ON THE CHARACTER AND THE RELATIONSHIPS. I REALLY WANTED TO HAVE THAT TECHNICAL PART OF IT DONE. IT WAS ESSENTIAL.”