I am so happy that we raised the curtain on our 2017/2018 season with a show that had neither a curtain nor much of a stage set, but instead offered 84 minutes of crackling dialogue and thought provoking human interaction where every gesture, swish of a skirt, body placement, and movement was so precisely choreographed to support the words that were spewing from the actor’s mouths. I am no psychologist, but I am pretty certain that A Doll’s House, Part 2 could provide a semester’s worth of fodder for a class on social psychology. I am also certain that three of the four characters on the stage would benefit GREATLY from time with a psychological expert.
It was fascinating to watch this story unfold before our eyes and was a great reminder as to why we go to theater in the first place. To think… to feel… to get seized up in the moment and to consider our lives and our role in said lives in a new way and/or to appreciate the lives that we have. This play did all of that and more.
The play and it’s content dominated the post show dinner conversation – we were still talking about it in the cab ride home and it certainly infiltrated my thoughts as I did my morning rounds around town. One new attendee likened our very spirited dinner to a book club – which is an apt analogy.
A Doll’s House, Part 2 is closing at the end of this month. There was a seismic cast shift over the summer where three of the four original cast members were re-cast. It seems audiences have not embraced this cast change. I think audiences are making a mistake – the cast, lead by a cunning, mercurial, skirt swishing Julie White was awesome. The good news is that ticket prices, based on this lack of demand are very reasonable, so if you can find 84 minutes in your schedule between now and September 28th – I and every single person in our group highly recommend that you see this show.