Vagabond Players take on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

“The door slammed and the world shivered,” read the introduction to the Vagabond Players’ production of A Doll’s House

It was not cold enough in the small theater to actually shiver, but the audience was nonetheless affected by this powerful performance of Henrik Ibsen’s famous drama.

The production showcases a new translation of A Doll’s House from the original Norwegian by Paul Walsh.

Directed by Sherrionne Brown, this revolutionary play questioned the Victorian notion of marriage, as well as challenged the chauvinism that oppresses women and keeps them from fulfilling their full potential.

A Doll’s House tells the story of Nora (Karina Ferry), a superficially happy wife and mother who becomes entangled in debt and forgery in an attempt to save her family.

She owes money to Nils Krogstad (Eric C. Stein), an angry and down-on-his-luck former criminal. Krogstad uses Nora’s vulnerable position to manipulate and blackmail her.

Nora’s husband Torvald (Micheal Leicht) is an indulgent but controlling man whose affection and approval the complacent Nora strives to maintain.

With her old friend Kristine (Jennifer Skarzinski), who is both a help and a hindrance, Nora spends the majority of the play trying to keep Krogstad from revealing the potential scandal to her husband.

She even considers asking an ailing friend, Dr. Rank (Gregory Jericho), to loan her the money.

These struggles with self-sacrifice and society’s hypocrisy lead Nora to question not only her marriage but also her entire way of life.

Ibsen’s acclaimed drama is presented well in this production. While the performances were overall clear and impassioned, the stars of the show were Ferry and Leicht, as the husband and wife duo.

Leicht shows just the right mix of misogyny and adoration to be a comical, brutal, pitiable Torvald, while Ferry is captivating as both incarnations of Nora: the early cheerful and childish wife and the later enlightened and emancipated woman.

Jericho is charming as the fatally ill Dr. Rank, and Jennifer Skarzinski is effective as Kristine. Eric C. Stein’s striking portrayal of Nils Krogstad manages to make his villainous character both hateful and sympathetic.

The actors work well together and their interactions successfully convey the humor, tragedy and triumph of A Doll’s House.

The set design is also lovely. The Victorian decor creates a microcosmic doll’s house in which the characters dance, play and inevitably fall apart.

There is one lush red blanket draped over a sofa that is continually picked up, moved, and dropped as the characters progress through the drama. Its velvety beauty in particular stands out on stage.

The minor flaws in this production of Ibsen’s drama are mostly amusing and do not seriously detract from the satisfying experience.

Of the few funny anachronisms, the most noticeable is when Torvald, a circa 1879 Norwegian husband, hands Nora contemporary American dollars.

During this particular showing, the actors handled performing mishaps with aplomb.

At one point approaching the climax of the play, the ties of Ferry’s dress got caught in Leicht’s costume, yet the actors were able to incorporate the accident into the scene and continue unperturbed with the remainder of the play.

The most striking moment of the performance is when Nora laments the fact that her doting husband did not come to her rescue when Krogstad accused her of forgery.

Torvald tells her, “No man in his right mind would sacrifice his honor for his love,” to which Nora passionately replies that thousands of women do just that every day.

These two actors convey this climactic scene with anger, frustration and (on Torvald’s part) misguided love. Nora’s defiance is inspiring but the resulting desolation of her husband is also poignant and pitiable.

The Vagabond Player’s production does justice to Ibsen’s feminist play. The story is more than 100 years old, but the lively performances make it feel fresh and relevant.

When that door slams and Torvald stands forlornly on stage, one cannot help but be affected by the intense emotions and powerful societal implications of A Doll’s House.