Jessica Chastain’s “A Doll’s House” is a Bland, Uninteresting Affair

Photo by Emilio Madrid

The opinions reflected in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.

When it first premiered in 1879, Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s House” shocked audiences with its challenge to societal views of marriage and female roles. Although Ibsen maintained until his death that he had not written a feminist play, the story of “A Doll’s House” is centered around an exploration of the power dynamics between a husband and wife. It reveals the secret decision of Nora Helmer to forge loan documents needed to save her husband’s life and her startling decision to leave a conformable life as a wife and mother as she comes to recognize the state of her unhappy, emotionally-abusive marriage.

Originally set in 19th-century Norway, a new production of “A Doll’s House” – adapted by Amy Herzog and directed by Jamie Lloyd – opens this month at the Hudson Theatre on Broadway. This production is a bold departure from the dense, maximalist visuals that ordinarily accompany a play set within an affluent Victorian home. Instead, the play is performed with no costumes, sets, props or effects apart from simple lighting, a few wooden chairs and a hidden turntable in the stage floor.

The most anticipated element of this production of “A Doll’s House” is Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain’s return to Broadway as the protagonist, Nora. Chastain manages a solid performance in this work, but she struggles to find any chemistry between her on-stage husband (Arian Moayed) and close friends (Jesmille Darbouze & Michael Patrick Thornton). The results of the actor’s efforts amount to powerful individual performances that are incredibly dull and awkward when any character is forced to interact with another.

At first glance, the minimalist staging of this production is intriguing (scenic design by Soutra Gilmour), but its implementation comes across as the result of an artistic whim rather than a serious consideration of the needs of the production. Lighting is seldom used to highlight any narrative element or resemble the shifting attitudes of characters toward each other. The bare set leaves much to the imagination: an element that proves to be more of a distraction than an advantage.

The end result of “A Doll’s House” is that after roughly 100 minutes of a painfully slow burn towards actual conflict, I arrived at the climax of the show with no sympathy or interest in the problems of six rich people complaining about their unhappiness and the consequences of the fraud they willingly committed. 

Nora’s decision to leave her family in favor of her own happiness is portrayed as bold and moving. In actuality, it’s an incredibly selfish, impulsive decision that aligns with her immature, coddled character. Her abandonment of her children is barely addressed, although it seems the most important repercussion of the collapse of her marriage.

I’m sure this production will be interesting to someone – it has already announced an extension of the show into June due to strong ticket sales – but any level of emotional investment in its outcome was simply not worth my time or effort. If you want to see Jessica Chastain perform live, then go. She’s clearly a talented actress. Just don’t expect a universally spectacular experience.

“A Doll’s House” is currently running at the Hudson Theatre through June 10, 2023.

Eli Johnson is the Theatre Columnist for the Empire State Tribune. He is a sophomore at The King's College majoring in Business. He is an avid theatre-goer and always enjoys a game of chess.