When Henrik Ibsen first penned A Doll's House, the play's ending proved such a scandalous event in 1879 Copenhagen that he was forced to write a second version. Members of the community who had read the script -- it was published weeks before it was staged -- couldn't accept that Nora would leave her husband and children in the end. They protested to the playwright, much the same as Torvald protests his wife's eminent departure.
"This is monstrous!" Torvald says to Nora in his first words that aren't saccharin-sweet. "Can you neglect your most sacred duties? ? First and foremost you are a wife and mother!"
Theatre Babel first produced Doll's House in 1998 in their native Scotland and began touring it not long after. It's been well received enough to keep the show on the road ever since.
Audiences to Theatre Babel's excellent production last September of Thebans have an indication of the kind of wizardry the company produces: making classic drama relevant to contemporary audiences.
"Ibsen was quick to identify outmoded ways of thinking," said Doll House director Graham McLaren. "I think it speaks to today's audiences because we are all victims of society -- we are victims of our own modes of thinking. ? The classics have a core of eternal values -- that is the core which we must address."
For McLaren and his troupe, the play that showed the first sparks of the women's liberation movement continues to burn with something more.
"Torvald is as much the doll as Nora," he says of the character often considered the antagonist. "For people 100 years ago, he was actually quite the liberal. As you know, it's based on a true story. That gentleman put his wife in an asylum."
Part of the 2004 International Theater Festival -- The Playwright's Theater, Ibsen's A Doll's House, began last night and will run through Sunday, April 18. As of press time, few tickets were remaining, so best to reserve yours by calling (02) 2343 1365 or arrive early to get a place on a likely waiting list. Shows start at 7:30pm with an additional matinee showing at 2:30pm on Sunday.
Performance notes:
Where: Experimental Theater, National Theater and Concert Hall, 21-1 Zhongshan S Rd, Taipei
When: Tonight and tomorrow, 7:30pm; tomorrow, 2:30pm.
Tickets: Tickets sold out shortly before press time, but there's still a chance of seeing the show for anyone willing to queue up for no-show seats.
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