Doll’s House Well Done, but Some Roles too Deep for Young Actors
Paul Brissett, Duluth News Tribune
October 2, 2014
It’s said that by the time an actress understands Romeo’s Juliet, she’s too old to play the part. That is to say, Shakespeare’s tragic heroine is an impossible fiction, worldly beyond her years. Something similar could be said of Henrik Ibsen’s Nora, the central character in his play A Doll’s House, a production of which opened Thursday in UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center.
Katelin Delorenzo gives a perfectly burnished performance in the role, but a 20ish college student simply lacks the gravitas to portray a woman eight years into a demeaning marriage who’s a chronic liar and holder of a dark secret. Delorenzo’s portrayal of Nora’s bubbly, playful demeanor in Act I is utterly without undertones. And her Act III confrontation with Torvald, when she tells him “our home’s been nothing but a doll house (and) I’ve been your doll wife,” lacks the intensity of long-held resentment bursting forth.
Granted, a willing suspension of disbelief is the essential requirement of the playgoer. And student theater rarely has much choice in the age of performers. But the circumstances of Nora’s life, and how they’ve shaped her personality, are so essential to Ibsen’s story that they simply must be portrayed with more credibility than this production can manage.
If Delorenzo was born too late for her part, so too was Jayson Speters, who turns in a technically impeccable performance but can’t muster the dismissiveness with which Torvald Helmer sees his wife. Born late in the 20th century and reared in a world that has never been without feminism, he delivers Torvald’s belittling endearments — squirrel, songbird, etc. — without a hint of sugary patronization. Similarly, his (today) outrageously paternalistic and sexist statements in Act III are delivered with all the conviction he might bring to reading a fairy tale aloud. How could it be otherwise; he’s likely never heard them uttered seriously in real life. It is only in the play’s final, heartbreaking scene that Delorenzo and Speters generate a thoroughly affecting dynamic.
The blameless deficiencies of the two lead actors notwithstanding, UMD’s production is excellent theater. Director Tom Isbell has taken William Archer’s translation, which significantly tightened and brightened Ibsen’s original script, and added moments of laugh-out-loud humor. He also has demanded a brisk, crisp performance of a play that can sometimes seem stodgy and old-fashioned. Curtis Phillips’ 19th century Norwegian living room, complete with tiled stove, is lighted by Solveig Bloomquist to capture the effect of pre-electricity illumination. Patricia Dennis’ costumes are carefully correct, in period terms, down to Thorvald’s ankle-height lace-up shoes.
Isbell’s supporting cast is strong, none of them burdened by their unavoidable youth. Particularly striking is Erik Meixelsperger as Krogstad, who threatens to disclose Nora’s secret unless she prevails upon Torvald to keep Krogstad in his job at the bank. Meixelsperger has a perfect villain’s sneer and conveys a palpable desperation when demanding Nora’s aid.
On October 1st, 2014, UMD’s “A Doll’s House” performed its final dress rehearsal for an audience of around 30.
ReplyDeleteAn English translation of Henrik Ibsen’s “Et dukkehjem,” “A Doll’s House” is set in the late 1800’s in the home of Torvald, played by Jayson Speters; and Nora Helmer, played by Katelin Delorenzo. Often lauded as one of the earliest pieces on behalf of feminism, “A Doll’s House” is a visionary piece that still has grounding and applicability in today’s society.
As a whole, each member of the cast provided unique and believable characters for the most part. Speters was a very convincing Torvald consistently throughout the show, but especially in the last scene; moving through a wide range of emotions: as he believes his reputation is ruined forever, to condemning his wife, to, upon seeing that his honor is no longer in danger, immediately returns to his ‘all is well’ mindset. It seemed that perhaps it took Speters a little while to get fully into character at the beginning, but he soon was very convincing and had very intriguing depth and dimension. It was a joy to watch him work.
The character of Nora is a very interesting one; a role that, as time goes on, becomes very complex as she fights to maintain control and a happy facade; she is at battle with herself. Delorenzo put on a stellar performance, fully engaging and intriguing the audience from various monologues in which she tries to convince herself as well as the audience that she is “not so silly as he thinks,” to the mess of secrets and lies that keep her running in circles. While a superb counterpart to Speters, her scenes with Dr. Rank, played by Joe Cramer, came off as a little stiff, perhaps partially due to the lack of development of their relationship. The scene where Nora finds out Dr. Rank’s true feelings for her seemed more awkward and choppy than any other scene. While still well executed, Nora’s reactions/confusion, etc. could have been presented more clearly, but still well done.
Mikaela Kurpierz played the role of Mrs. Linde; a character that perhaps seems a little out of place in the idyllic world of the Helmers. Kurpierz had fantastic character development; taking a rather ‘flat’; perhaps static, character, and creating an intriguing persona. In the beginning of the show, Mrs. Linde seemed quite random, a mysterious person from Nora’s past who just shows up on Christmas Eve. Mrs. Linde’s character picked up as the show moved forward, and Kurpierz also progressed. The very first scene when Mrs. Linde first arrives seemed a little flat, and not necessarily as smooth of a relationship as one would think old friends would be able to pick up where they left off. It was slightly awkward, but soon was remedied in following scenes. Kurpierz developed her character’s relationships as time moved on and only improved.
As a whole, the show was very well executed, and went very smoothly. All aspects, from scene design to costumes to even the casting of the actors themselves were appropriate and demonstrated the creativity and dimensions of the UMD theatre department.
UMD’s Theater Program presented the show “A Doll’s House,” which opened on Thursday October 2, 2014. This show is a classic, and was performed very well. Tom Isbell, who was also the director of the show, adapted the show and he did a great job. The direction of the show was done beautifully. The show really presented the side of the woman of the time, and their struggles to support themselves, and make their own decisions. Tom Isbell, and the cast did a wonderful job at performing those struggles as well.
ReplyDeleteThe actors did a great job at showing raw emotion during the show. Katelin Delorenzo, who played Nora, did a great job at flipping from the happy, peppy, character Nora was at the beginning, to the terrified, stressed character she became into the show. The actress’ reactions to other characters were also done very well, especially while Torvald was talking about how fraud is such a big problem. She showed great fear, but you could also see her brain frantically trying to come up with a plan. The actress Mikaela Kurpierz played the character of Mrs. Linde, and the character seemed dull. For the audience who hasn’t read the play, or who hasn’t seen it before, she seemed to play the character in a quite dull manner. Her reactions were little, and the actress herself seemed to be quite tired, and maybe not too into the rehearsal. However, later in the show, her energy picked up and she ended on a good note. Adding the energy at the end definitely helped her character. The actor, Jayson Speters – who played Torvold – was good at changing his emotions throughout the show in a snap. The moment he found out about his wife, he did a great job at switching into a state of anger, and then back to the “loving” husband he is, when it was all cleared up. The end of the show really showed the actor’s talent in this role, and the audience could feel his panic once his wife decided she was leaving. Joe Cramer – who played Dr. Rank – also did a good job in his role. It is quite hard to play a character with a disability, but Mr. Cramer did well playing a man in that state, and added the balancing amount of comedy in the show. Kayla Peters – who played the role of Anne – was the common role that was always in and out of the show. She did well the entire time, and always held her character throughout the show. Many of the actors in the play definitely showed their love for their characters and the audience could tell when they were passionate about their roles.
The tech in this show was done well. The costumes and makeup – which were done by Patricia Dennis - were looked very authentic, and beautifully put together. The set itself – done by Curtis Phillips – looked very real, and authentic. It made the audience feel like they were right in the show with the characters. They could feel the emotion from the performers like they were right there. The most impressive part of the set was the ending when the “doll house” broke apart, and showed the shattering, and disintegration of the family, and was done beautifully. The lighting in this performance – done by Solveig Bloomquist- showed the time of day quite well. The audience could tell when it was supposed to be later in the evening because the candles on the set, which showed how the lighting was in that time period, were the only things that lit the stage. The sound - done by Ryan Gallagher - was good, except at the beginning. During the opening scene the music was so loud that the audience couldn’t hear what the actors were saying for the entire time the music was playing. Later in the show, the sound quieted down, and fit well with the time period, and the story.
The show itself was done very well, and the audience could tell how hard the cast and crew worked on this show.
On October 2nd, 2014, UMD opened its theatre season with the production, “A Doll’s House,” an English translation of the original Norwegian play by Henrik Ibsen. The show starred Katelin DeLorenzo playing Nora and Jayson Speters playing Nora’s husband, Torvald.
ReplyDeleteDeLorenzo’s performance of Nora was overall well done. As the show went on, DeLorenzo seemed to get more immersed in her character. At the beginning on the show, some lines were delivered in a way that sounded like more like a college student speaking instead of a married woman from 1879. This only happened briefly though, and DeLorenzo would slip back into character. By the end of the play, DeLorenzo’s performace was believable and engaging. Her most impactful moment was when Torvald finally read the letter and was telling Nora how she ruined his career. Nora moved down stage and sat on an ottoman staring off into the audience. With the stage being so close to the audience, it was easy to see the realization on her face that she was wrong about Torvald, and that she needed to leave him. From that point on, DeLorenzo gave a chilling performance as Nora finally stood up to her husband, packed her things, and left the house.
Speters also did a convincing performance of his character, Torvald. The only downside to Speters’ performance was towards the end of the show. As Nora was explaining to Torvald why she needed to leave him, Speters stood on stage with his mouth hanging open. Standing there for so long with that expression on his face, Speters took attention away from Nora’s big moment, and drew it to him. People in the audience were trying not to laugh as they knew this was not supposed to be a comical moment. Besides that, Speters’ had a very good understanding of the character, and performed with subtle hints of an abusive relationship between Torvald and Nora. The body language Speters conveyed to the audience along with the way he delivered his lines gave the audience a clear indication of the power Torvald held over Nora.
The actor that stole the show though was Erik Meixelsperger playing the character Krogstad. Being the “villain” of the show, Meixelsperger did an exceptional job playing the sleazy lawyer. The audience immediately gets a feeling of distain when Meixelsperger enters the room. What made Meixelsperger’s performance so memorable though, is how the audience slowly learns the motives behind Krogstad’s actions. As the play goes on, Meixelsperger’s representation of the character subtly changes, showing the character’s weaknesses, and making Krogstad less hated by the audience. Meixelsperger showed that he seemed to understand his character completely, and portrayed him exceptionally well. The way he would move throughout the room, look at the other actors, and the sneer on his face definitely drew the eyes of the audience onto him and commanded their attention. Miexelsperger was a great addition to the cast, and a wonderful choice for Krogstad.
Overall, UMD presented an enjoyable performance of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play. The show itself ranged from humorous bits to tense moments where the audience seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for what was to come next. This range kept the audience engaged and interested in what could have been a stale performance. Everyone involved in this production helped convey the impact this show had in 1878 without making the show feel out-of-date. This was another well done performance done by the UMD Theatre Department.
Wednesday October 1st the dress rehearsal of A Doll’s House was performed in the Marshall Performing Arts Center as UMD’s production of the story. The 19th century story explores tragedy, true love, and self-discovery. It exercises social norms of the time period and adapts them to a modern day interpretation. This allows the audience to easily understand the storyline in comparison to its traditional form. The main characters, and all characters for that matter do an exceptional job of committing to their particular piece of the puzzle that the production entails.
ReplyDeleteTaking place on Christmas in 1878, A Doll’s House would not usually appear to be a trendy playwright topic, but the suspense and continuous surprise between the characters proves that wrong. Nora is a 19th century “doll” who has an unceasing desire for money and receiving from others. She appeared selfish in the beginning, especially when Mrs. Linde was introduced and the conversation kept being drawn towards her concerns. This behavior fits the stereotype of women from that time because they were known to stay home while the men provided for the family. Torvald, her beloved husband, fell nothing short of her wants and needs. Meanwhile as Nora has a secret brewing about a bond she lent from Krogstad, a fraudulent acquaintance of Torvald, tensions rose quickly. The energy continued climbing as Mrs. Linde had past ties with Krogstad. Meanwhile Dr. Rank, a long-time friend of Torvald’s, confessed his love for Nora. The play included some comedy, with the characters shooting witty comments back and fourth. With that, it was observable that the characters were chuckling a little, and had to fight the urge of laughing with the audience so they could stay committed to the role.
Each character related to the other in some sort of way, keeping the audience thinking hard about what secret will be released next. Anne played her innocent maid role well, tending to the children that appeared to be neglected in the midst of the drama. It was an intriguing additive to have the children’s noises in the background but never being able to physically see them. This caused the audience to use their imagination. It was also useful that the characters dialogue stuck to the point in each scene. Time never seemed to drag on to long, making it a catchy and fast-paced storyline. There was a minor wardrobe mishap with Nora’s dress when her and Torvald came back from the dance. It was obvious because she held it up for the entire scene. Also being noticed, her hair-do was falling out at one point. These easy-to-fix details were understandable, as it was a dress rehearsal.
Overall, the music that played matched the scenes appropriately. Before the intermission when Nora was overwhelmed with the situation and claimed she would have 31 hours to live, the door slammed. Both the lighting and artistic design complemented one another to create an anticipation for the last scene. From detail in the costumes, furniture, and decorations, it was clear that each piece was fine-tuned and put together just right.
Though there was mistrust between Nora and Torvald, that happening benefitted the both of them. Torvald lashed out on Nora for going behind his back, and instantly forgave her when the bond was returned. This symbolized that true love was not evident between them. He made his priorities known and let outside factors stand in between. The morale of the story was carried out well that it is never too late to discover who to be. It had the capability of unleashing a personal perspective that relates to everyone.
On Thursday, October 2, the play A Doll’s House opened at the University of Minnesota Duluth Marshall Performing Arts Center. This famous play was originally written by Henrik Isben, but the version chosen by the department of theater was based on a translation by William Archer, and then adapted by Tom Isbell. When the play was written in the 1800’s, the underlying themes were way ahead of their time. Even today, some of these themes are still prevalent, and the UMD Department of Theater did an excellent job portraying them.
ReplyDeleteThe play was held in the main stage of the Marshall Center, a good choice of venue for the thrust style of theater seating that Director Tom Isbell chose. Curtis Phillips, the scenic designer, did a spectacular job with the set. He angled the apartment’s main ‘room’ so that what would be the corner came out towards the audience. This way we looked through two imaginary walls, rather than just one, and had a much better view of the entire room. One minor problem however, occurred occasionally when an actor or actress shut a door to hard; the whole wall would sway visibly, and at times it became distracting for the audience.
The costume and makeup designer, Patricia Dennis, should be given a raise. The female clothing in particular was exceptionally well done. The outfits were accurate to the time period, and a few of the dresses worn by Nora were amazingly detailed, much more detailed than one would expect. But Patricia Dennis’ greatest feat for this play was the costume and makeup for Dr. Rank, played by Joe Cramer. It was hard to tell if this character was being played by a young college student or a 60 (or older) year old man.
The lightning and sound throughout the production were adequate. For a majority of the play, the stage was lit up as if all of the lights in the apartment room were on. This worked well for the play, nothing flashy or unique to distract the audience from the acting. The sound was also fitting for the play; background music was a rare occurrence. However, it was odd how at the end of the play, when Torvald was begging Nora to stay, the doors began to make noise. At first one make the sound of one person pounding on it. Then, a few moments later, three out of the four visible doorways produced this loud bang. This banging was effective at creating tension and excitement, but ineffective at keeping the play realistic.
The acting across the board was superb. All of the actors and actresses performed remarkably well. There was only one instance where Katelin DeLorenzo, playing Nora, stumbled on the word “notice.” It was a quick slip up, but Katelin did a great job of maintaining composure and continuing on as if it were part of the script. Katelin also did wonderful facial expressions. Nora’s eye movement is a key part of this play, and Katelin nailed it. Also, Joe Cramer’s performance as Dr. Rank was very believable, even with the difficult task of having a cane and walking with a limp consistently; incredibly impressive.
A Doll’s House is not only for entertainment, but it has some powerful messages as well. It conveys how women were openly treated as vastly inferior to men. Although woman’s rights movements have made tremendous gains, men are still seen as superior to women in much of society today. The ending of this production leaves the audience with an open jaw, and many questions to ask of ourselves. I highly recommend seeing A Doll’s House.
The University of Minnesota- Duluth Department of Theatre’s production of A Doll’s House was very well done and the presentation was fascinating. From the set, to the make-up to the overall acting, the play captivated the audience. Tom Isbell, who was able to travel to Norway where the play originated, directed the play. Using the information from Norway, he tried to incorporate as much insight as he could from the original play, written by Henrik Ibsen. The production also hinted at the past and in some ways present issue of women being degraded. The time period of the production was around Christmas time in 1879, and it was set in the house of Nora, played by Katelin DeLorenzo and Torvald, played by Jayson Speters.
ReplyDeleteThe overall scenery on the stage contributed to making the play feel as if one was really in the 1800’s where it was set. The Scenic Designer, Curtis Phillips, made the stage appear like a very realistic home living room of a wealthy family from the time period. The living room appeared cozy and welcoming, especially with the addition of the fireplace and seating areas. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling also added to the feel of luxury in the space. It was neat that the doors on stage actually lead to other rooms that the audience could see. This feature also added to the reality of the set and added an extra dimension to the play. The transforming feature of the room at the end of the play was also a very unique touch that was not expected. The scenery overall was very well done and contributed greatly to the production.
The costuming and make-up, done by Patricia Dennis was also very elegant and well done. The women in the show wore dresses from the time period with bustles and rich looking fabric. Nora especially wore dresses of elegance due to her status in society. The men all wore dress pants and nice jackets. The clothing added to being engrossed in the time period. The make-up was nice and added to the facial features of the actors. That being said, the make-up was especially well done for Dr. Rank, played by Joe Cramer. From the wrinkles to the glasses, Dr. Rank truly did look like an old man. Therefore, the make-up and costuming contributed to the realism and time-period of the production.
The actors in the play were stupendous throughout the whole production and embraced their whole character. Mrs. Linde, played by Mikaela Kurpierz was very sophisticated, which made her character very believable. Krogstad, acted out by Erik Meixelsperger embodied his whole character and portrayed the complicated situation he was in. Crammer did an excellent job of acting like and elderly man and made his limp very realistic. He really convinced the audience that he was an elderly man. The housekeeper, Anne, played by Kayla Peters, acted very mature and never broke character. Although she had a minor role, she acted out her full character when she was on stage and made her role realistic. DeLorenzo and Speters were excellent at portraying both love for each other, and the complications that their characters entailed throughout the production. Speters’ character was business-like throughout the production, but had to captivate great emotion at the end of the play. He did well at producing the feelings and beliefs of Torvald. DeLorenzo had to transfer from happy-go-lucky to distressed for her character, Nora, and she did so with grace and developed acting. She also embraced the overall message of feminism throughout the play. All in all, the acting in the production was very well casted and performed wonderfully.
The production of A Doll’s House was excellent and it is highly recommended. The play addressed the controversial issue of women’s rights and did so in a mature and elegant fashion. The scenery, costuming and make-up made the audience feel like they were actually in the time period of the late 1800’s. Also, the acting was very well done and the actors embodied their full characters. The play was entrancing and made the audience eager to know what was going to come next.
A Doll's House, perhaps one of Henrik Ibsen's greatest works and UMD's best adaptations. Directed by Tom Isbell this production encompassed all Doll's House can and should be. From the casting to scenery UMD theatre never disappoints.
ReplyDeleteA Doll's House written by Ibsen in 1879, highlights the severity of male superiority in those days. Set in Norway the story still ties to the problems we have in our current society. Throughout history, women have never gotten the respect they deserve. This play highlights that full-well. During the entire play, you can feel the tension between en and women rising. All leading to a very climatic and abrupt ending.
Such a small, young, and outrageously talented cast. When put on stage together they make something beautiful come to life. Katelin DeLorenzo fully engulfed the part of Nora despite her young looks. Her ability to portray such a serious character was put to the test, with great reward. The part of Torvald played by Jayson Speters was very well done. From the tone of his voice, to his stage presence. When Speters was on stage, he was Torvold. This group of talented up and coming actors and actresses are once again astounding! Kayla Peters in the role of Anne was very entertaining to watch. She said few words but her presence on stage made it hard to take your eyes of off her. Weather she was decorating the house or helping Nora, Anne was executed perfectly. She added a somewhat hopeful element to the show. Joe Cramer was one of the most interesting characters to watch. His actions, expressions, and appearance, added so much to his character. Playing a many almost 4 times older than you is not an easy feat. But he managed outstandingly well. He added an almost comical effect in a serious matter. Krogstad is one of those characters we all grow to hate. His actions draw us to dislike him and Erik Meixelsperger does a great job in the part. The way he threatens Nora, shows that he is up to no good. Actress Mikaela Kurpierz was stunning in the role of Mrs.Linde. She provided a calming element to the performance and also has a great pair of acting chops. Overall the actors and actresses chosen for this show were fit to a tee.
The scenery of this show was basic, but rather complex. The entire show took place in the home of Nora and Torvald. The stunning Norwegian home looked very realistic. The scenery fully engulfed the audience and made a great show even greater.The artistic directors and scene designers did a wonderful job. Tom Isbell made the right choice setting, seating, and show wise.
A Doll's House was a truly amazing show. Saying it is highly recommended isn't saying enough, this show is a MUST SEE. The message is great, and for some highly relatable. Hats off to UMD on another stellar show. I cannot wait for more wonderful theater performances in the near future. Thank you.
The University of Minnesota Duluth's A Doll's House leaves us with some mixed feelings inside after seeing it. At first glance upon entering the theatre and seeing the stage setup and props it is astonishing to think that all of it was built by the hands of University of Minnesota Duluth students. The old-fashioned outfits and hair styles, likewise completed by students were also very well done and reflective of the time period that the play takes place in. The casting for the actors and actresses themselves was done very well and those in charge of choosing the final performers were probably correct in the decision of those who ended up on stage. However, I am going to have to agree that I do find it hard to believe these characters emotions and words when it is particularly evident that the people playing the character have most likely not had to deal with anything close to what their characters in the play are going through. This is not surprising at all, as the play takes place many years ago and it is hard to grasp what life was like back then and what someone would be feeling in the situations that these characters find themselves in at times. The play was well done itself, which includes the scene design, lighting, and costume designs. However, and not at all to the personal fault of the performers, it was hard to grasp the authenticity and story of their troubled life situations. Other well done aspects include the make-up of Dr. Rank-played by Joe Cramer, an old man with a cane, who perhaps, with his well-developed character and unique personality was the most likable and enjoyable for the audience to watch. He lent a sort of mood to the audience that was nice to have when considering the other tense scenes of the play. The main couple of the show, being that of Nora-played by Katelin DeLorenzo, and Torvald-played by Jayson Speters, were well suited for the roles looks wise and along with their mannerisms, the audience was able to understand the struggles of their relationship to an extent of their knowledge. Both had probably the most lines throughout the entire night and projected them clearly, fluently, and without any fault to those watching. This being said, although they played their characters to the best of their ability and we are able to see how they have practiced the scenes many times for memorization of all they have to incorporate, there are also many emotions and feelings, which come along with facial expressions and what we are able to see in the character's eyes during a trying moment that just isn't all there. Not surprisingly, this play was probably most difficult for the actors because they are younger and living in a much different time than their characters, along with much different problems. Another grasping character, alongside that of the doctor, that happened to steal the stage was none other than Erik Meixelsperger, who plays Krogstad. At such an age younger than the character he was portraying, the audience is able to feel how engrossed he is in the person he is playing. Throughout each scene, we are able to see the emotion sprawled across his face and the surprising actions of his body language that tell us how he feels at that moment. His look in and of itself fits the personality that he strongly gets across to the viewers. So, although it is understandable that this type of performance would be hard for a group of students to pull off, they definitely all did extremely well with what they could and made their performances strong. The crew as well should be extremely proud about all of the time and effort they surely spent in order to make the set and scenes definitely feel more real than ever.
ReplyDeleteThe University of Minnesota Duluth recently put on a production of A Doll’s House. Originally written by Tom Ibsen, and then adapted by Tom Isbell, A Doll’s House has received many positive reviews.
ReplyDeleteStarting off when first entering, the set was done well. It was evident that with how the set was done, it was clear that it was around Christmas and with the design of everything, it was clear that the time it was set in was the late 1800s. The costumes were also well done as each one gave their respective character a style and sense which helped to give an insight on the character. The lighting was fairly constant throughout the entire play and nothing too fancy happened. The change from the first act to the second act had a simple yet powerful effect as it was Kayla Peters, who portrayed Anne, simply doing a small amount of decorating for Christmas to show that time had passed. Overall, the entire production team did a wonderful job in making everything have that rustic yet posh feeling throughout the entire play.
Now getting onto the actors, Katelin DeLorenzo’s portrayal of Nora was incredible. In the first act, you can see wonderful chemistry between her and Torvald, who was portrayed by Jayson Speters. DeLorenzo’s portrayal of Nora, especially in the third act, was hauntingly beautiful. The only real issue was during rather intense moments when DeLorenzo’s accent would drop. Speters’ portrayal of Torvald rivaled that of Delorenzo’s performance of Nora. He was able to play the loving husband extremely well but then in the third act when his true feelings come out and how he was able to put a façade back on his life once he thought it was perfect again. Then there is Dr. Rank who was portrayed by Joe Cramer, who was able to do a very good job at being the “comic relief” in what was a very serious play. Cramer also did an excellent job at acting the age of Dr. Rank. He was also able to seamlessly go from his jovial self to a morbid tone when speaking of his own death and then back to jovial. When Mikaela Kurpierz’s charcter Kristine Linde was introduced, it was evident that Kurpierz had a great handle on the character that was Kristine. As the play continued, emotion can be seen coming from Kurpierz. Then there was Krogstad , who was portrayed by Erik Meixelsperger, who in the first two acts of the play was able to execute a villain but then made the audience feel sympathy towards the character which takes a lot to accomplish. Rounding out the cast was Peters who portrayed Anne. Although she had a smaller part in the play, she was able to deliver a strong performance. The entire cast was able to put on a great show as it was clear that they each put their heart and soul into their characters.
A Doll’s House was a beautiful play. The message portrayed of women’s rights was visible. The entirety of play was executed incredible and what could have been potentially a boring play was made into a masterpiece. A Doll’s House is a must see for people who want to see a strong female in a lead role or for those who simply want to see a classic play that played a large role in revolutionizing the modern plays of today.
Jared Steel
ReplyDeleteCritic Dolls House.
I found this show of which I actually knew nothing about to be very good. I had aspects of things I look for in film and other shows that I have seen. It had humor here and there. I really like how intense it was at times. I had a slight edge to it and this I loved. In none musical performances on stage I seek edginess and A Dolls House had just the right amount to bring to the table. The actors and actresses that took on these rolls did a splendid job and I can’t see anyone else in these rolls however, in the opening seen of the performance I couldn’t hear what they were saying. The music was drowning out what Nora and Anna where saying. The lighting was simply amazing it was just enough to highlight the stunning set. The set was absolutely wonderful.
The set was magnificent simply beautiful. The color scheme really made it seem as if we the audience went back to 1879. The dark yet soft blues and purplish highlighting was very nicely done all wrapped together with the white trim finish was great. The paint on the wood burning stove actually looked as if it was cast iron even though it was not, the floors looked like aged wood everything about the set was fantastic. The furniture was excellent and truly felt as if it belonged in the set and time frame that was being portrayed to us. The lighting choices were very well executed the stage designers and lighting crews should be very proud of themselves everything worked well together and made sense visually as well as astatically.
The costumes looked outstanding absolutely spot on for the time period and location. The dresses the female characters wore were beautiful myself being a fan of dark colors was very pleased by the color choices made. The dresses we very well done, very impressive. The suits the men wore also looked spot on for the late 1800s they had all the looks and feel for the time period. Again being a fan of dark colors I loved all of the greys and blacks that the men wore it was marvelous to see such wonderful costume designs and choices. The designers and costume crew deserve a huge pat on the back for their wonderful work excellently done.
The makeup, hair and aging effects were pretty good. The Doctor really looked as if he was in his mid to late 70s I am guessing that’s how old this character is supposed to be. The hair styles were very accurate and looked excellent I was pleasantly surprised by all of this.
The characters were excellently done. I really did not know what to expect up until this year I had never heard of this production but from what I witnessed I could not imagine a better cast than that of the six people I saw last night. They executed there lines very well. They all were very easy to understand and hear other than the first two minutes or so other than that it was almost flawless.
I very much enjoyed the show from start to finish it was an impressive piece of art to behold. The ending however I never could have guessed that it was going to be like that. I loved it very impressive and edgy well done to all involved in this production. Bravo. I recommend seeing this show.
Women have been driven down by the shackles of society; this is a statement that rings true throughout history. There are exceptions here or there but even today those shackles can be heard clanging behind some women. A Doll’s House is a play about a women breaking free of her shackles. UMD Theater put on this performance over the weekend and did it to the best of their ability.
ReplyDeleteKatelin Delorenzo plays the main character in the show, Nora Helmer while her counterpart, Jayson Speters plays her typical husband of the era (1800’s) Torvald Helmer. Nora is a wife that is thought of as a delicate bird, as Torvald often tells her “his Lark”. She “does not know” how things are done as must be dependent on her “strong” husband. The generation of today may feel a real tug of annoyance and frustration as this portrayal of the time is brought about. Delorenzo does a relatively decent job of being the thought of “dip stick” wife. Nora how ever has more to her than maybe Delorenzo could muster. Nora has spunk and tenacity that was shown in her actions to “save” Torvald. Delorenzo lost this from time to time throughout her portrayal of Nora. Speters did well in portraying the arrogant all knowing husband of the time. He may have tried to have been more angered when he corrects Nora since a “doll” cannot step outside the invisible marks around it. The acting between the two went well overall, tugging at the correct strings to get the audience feeling what the play intends.
The rest of the cast in A Doll’s House was amiable in their acting. Mikaela Kurpierz played Mrs. Linde who is a friend of Nora’s from her past. Kurpierz portrayal of this character seems off. Mrs. Linde is a woman making it on her own when this does not seem an acceptable time to do such a thing, Kurpierz may be too confident in her role when she should be less assertive. Erik Meixelsperger as Krogstad was terrific in his role to blackmail Nora but to also be a bit off center in his notions on what is the “right” thing to do.
The set was beautiful and the hallways that led off the stage to different parts of the house were a good use of space. The lighting was done well to portray the dim lighting of the time with candles and lamps. Toward the end of the play when the scene split apart to show Nora wandering off to go about her new life and casting away the “Doll” was a great way to show, in a unique way Torvald’s confusion, anger, and dismay at Nora leaving. The costumes were elegant and a good portrayal of the time and attitude.
Over all UMD Theater did a swell job in performing A Doll’s House and putting their own heart into the characters and set to show the audience this great controversy of the time period with husbands and wives.
The production of A Doll’s House, which opened in UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center, was unforgettable. The cast brought us back to the way life was like in the 20th century. Equipped with turn of the century dresses that carried a “bustle” underneath them. These costumes helped illustrate the time period in which this show was taking place. They were very well crafted and gave off an old-fashioned feel.
ReplyDeleteDirector Tom Isbell gave an exceptionally well-done translation of the original script, while adding bits of humor here and there to help lighten the mood. His casting of Katelin Delorenzo and Jayson Speters to play husband and wife, Torvald and Nora, was spot on. The audience watched as their “picture perfect marriage” began to unravel. For anyone who had never seen the show, Nora’s secret acted as the cliffhanger and was revealed in a very appropriate and timely manner.
At first glance, one can’t help but notice the extremely articulately made set. It had the capability of drawing you in and making you feel a part of all the action. The experience was truly captivating. Immediately, it was made obvious that Nora and Torvald were part of the upper class. Considering the fact that Torvald recently took over the bank. Delorzeno and Speters had ideal on stage chemistry. You could see how much they each connected with their characters as raw emotion poured out during the final resolution of the play.
The theme of the American dream is shown throughout the performance. That money, success, a good wife and kids are what made you ultimately happy in our society, but this is broken when there is no love to hold it up. It was unusual for Torvald to let his wife go without putting up more of a fight for her. Later, Nora’s real reasons for leaving Torvald were revealed to the audience. Torvald is actually a batterer, one who inflicted physical violence upon Nora.
The show incorporated a lot of clever aspects to it. At the beginning, music was used to cover up the dialogue. Many may find it conflicting, as they wanted to hear what each character was saying. On the other hand, it can be oddly satisfying. It shows a lack of importance to the conversation being held between Anne, the housekeeper, and Nora. Another was how the director incorporated children. While they were not prominent characters, but still apart of Nora’s life, without their faces shown, simply playing with Nora.
When Nora left Torvald, the lighting represented the feelings going through the two main characters. While Torvald sat alone in darkness on the couch, Nora was a shadow in the light escaping from her old life and into a new life she will create for herself. The loud slam was misleading, it could have been mistaken as a gunshot or thunder; however, it was the slam of the door, from Nora entering her new house, her new life. By the end, each element came together in unity to create an emotional and thought-provoking performance.
The auditorium appeared calm and peaceful from the dimmed lights. It encouraged the audience to stop thinking in the present, and get excited to watch the performance. The actress who decorated with Christmas garlands reminded audience about their own Christmas memories. A lantern on the table was beautiful and provided a sense of calm.
ReplyDeleteA Doll’s House performance was wonderful in teaching the audience about what happened in 1879. The play writer, Henrik Ibsen, who wrote A Doll’s House in 1879, attempted to teach about feminism was successful, how married couples acted, and how husbands reacted. There are many family traditions that can be passed down. There would be some gentlemen who learned that as children and would do the same thing to women when they married. I think Henrik Ibsen wanted to emphasize to audience that not all traditions are good.
The performance taught to audience for many different habits such as history, some people would think it was normal, some other people think it was not normal, and variations of opinions. For example, a child was used to see his mother respected what his father’s demanded to his mother, so the child thought it was normal. The performance was useful in teaching the audience about traditional roles for men and women. Some of audience may felt agreed with the traditions, meanwhile other audience did not agree with that tradition.
The lighting was beautiful when it adjusted to dim and variety of lights that fits for the performance. It helped the audience’s mood and connected feeling. Also, the light for the interpreters was adequate to see them clearly. The decorations and costumes were a perfect fit for how people dressed and lived in 1800's. It had a pretty style of Swedish arts, fireplace, and it fit to what play writer was from. It was essential to decorate the style that matches to the story and it made the audience to feel fascinated to watch the performance.
Katelin DeLorenzo and Jayson Speters used strong facial expressions and body language to capture the audience’s attention and show what was happening between their characters. Their actions and costumes were essential for the audience to be interested in and understand what was going on to make it even more enjoyable to watch the performance. For example, Katelin wore a gorgeous dress, meanwhile she invited with her friend who was reacting like an excitement action to catch the audience’s attention. Katelin’s body language was important to show inner conflict, especially when her friend appeared, and in her reactions to Jayson. The audience would feel connected if they had seen real children. It would have increased fascination if the actors can include to see children coming on the stage instead of only children’s voices.
It was shocking at the end. It gave the audience something to think about after the show about families how the secrets can affect relationships. For centuries, families have been concerned about budgets. That is the same now as 150 years ago.
At the end of performance, it did not say what actually happened to Katelin after the audience heard a loud sound. It made the audience think about it after the performance. Ibsen wanted people to think about it from beginning to the end. They made their own choices about deciding what they think what happened to Katelin and to the family.
In conclusion, the performance, A Doll’s House, was very good for those members who were interested in history, antiques, feminism, relationships, play writing, and mysteries. A Doll’s House was a successful performance.
October 1, 2014 would be the final dress rehearsal for the cast of “A Doll’s House”, put on by the theatre department of the University of Minnesota Duluth. “A Doll’s House” is a classic, and previously controversial play about the beginnings of feminism by the famous Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The production was wonderfully adapted, directed, and brought to life by Duluth’s very own Tom Isbell.
ReplyDeleteThe set was absolutely breath taking, and was the very first thing you noticed when you walked into the theatre. It was very interesting how they blocked off some of the seats in order to build their set, but it worked very well and made it feel intimate. The set made you feel as if you were sitting with them in the living room. The set was gorgeous and filled with beautifully intricate details all the way from the doors to the fireplace. Each set piece and prop were carefully planned out and made it feel like as an audience member, you watching it in real life. The lighting was also very well executed and fit the intimate feel. The sound at the very beginning of the production was extremely loud to the point where as audience members we missed the first couple lines of the production, however, by the end of the production they turned the music down.
The actors and actress did a fantastic job portraying their characters. Katelin Delorenzo played the main character Nora. Watching Delorenzo transform from happy, witty, and fun to serious was easily one of the best parts of the production. She executed the lighthearted parts wonderfully, however, I wish she would have worked a tad bit more on serious parts, especially the last scenes. Jayson Speters’s development of Torvald was extremely fun to watch. When we first meet Torvald he is very lovey-dovey, but throughout the production we watch him transform and show his true colors. Speters did a wonderful job showing Torvald’s character development throughout the entire production. Krogstad is a peculiar, dark, and mysterious character, but Erik Meixelsperger executed it perfectly! Meixelsperger’s portrayal of a classic villainous character was almost flawless. When we meet Mrs. Linde, played by Mikaela Kurpierz, it feels completely out-of-place. As an audience member you’re not quite sure why she is even in the picture, but as the show goes on and we start to finally understand. Overall Kurpierz did a fantastic job portraying her character, however, she seemed almost a little too passive in the beginning, and I wish she would have been a little more stern in the end too. Joe Cramer did a great job portraying his character Dr. Rank, a witty and dying old man—the makeup on Cramer was extremely well done and made him look like he was an older gentleman. Kayla Peters also did a grand job of portraying the Helmer’s housekeeper.
All of the tech work and behind the scenes work was perfectly done. The costumes were beautiful, the lights were perfect, and sound was quickly fixed before the end of the performance. Overall the University of Minnesota Duluth’s theatre production was a success. I would highly recommend seeing this production, along with future productions from the UMD theatre department.
A Doll’s House by Tom Isbell. The scene was at the main characters home, which was a pretty wealthy and nice house. The way that they set up the house on stage was also very clever. The audience was able to see everything we needed to, and throughout the whole play I was pleased with my ability to see everything very clearly. So props to Curtis Phillips, the scenic designer. The lighting was spot on as well, it fit with the story and was good throughout the play. It also changed throughout the play to match what the audience was feeling during the specific scene, which was a good way to connect us.
ReplyDeleteNow to the part of the play that impressed me the most; the acting. Nora Helmer is the main character who was played by Katelin DeLorenzo, who did an awesome job. Her husband, Torvald was played by Jayson Speters, who did a good job portraying a typical husband in the late 1800s. Nora was a very confusing character at the beginning to me, and it took some time for me to understand her. She was a typical housewife in the 1800s, who happened to have a little secret. I can only imagine how difficult of a task it was to get into character for DeLorenzo, and it took a while for her to really get in the full character it seemed. Once she did, it was an amazing performance. She showed me, a 19 year old man, how it was to be a wife of a respected husband in the late 1800s. She did a phenomenal job throughout the play, especially towards the end, and really connected the whole audience. Speters did an awesome job as Nora’s wife Torvald. He really showed what it was like to be a husband back then. At the beginning it seemed like he was a little off, but just like his female counterpart, towards the end he really started clicking and did a phenomenal job showing the emotions that a guy would have going through what his character did. He was in a dilemma and showed it pretty well throughout.
The supporting cast was actually pretty good as well during the play. Mikaela Kurpierz, who played Mrs. Linde who was Nora’s old friend, did a very good job during the play. Her character was just confusing though, and it took a while to really understand her fully. Krogstad, the antagonist of the play, was played by Erik Meixelsperger. He did a superb job of portraying his character. I was very impressed by his acting. He was the one that Nora shared her secret with, and those two did an excellent job giving us hints throughout the play on what the secret was. Dr. Rank, a family friend of the Elmer’s, was played by Joe Cramer. He did a very good job playing the role of an old dying man. I thought the scene when he told Nora that he was in love with her was a very strong scene, and he captured the moment. Anne was the family’s maid, and she was played by Kayla Peters. She did a good job in her small amount of scenes. She did a good job showing what someone would do if she was in the middle of everything pretty much.
Overall, I thought that the play was a success. The way that it was like a story being told to me, was really cool, and at the end it made me saying “I want more.” so that is always good. The plot of this story was a good, interesting one, which everyone in the audience was actually able to connect to. It showed Nora’s growing up in a sense, and finding herself. Torvald’s confusion at the end, and sort of regret that he treated Nora the way that he did. It was a great ending to the play.
Great job to the whole UMD Theatre, it was a very unique play, and it was a great show. Big success.
The play A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben is a shockingly account of a young wife and mother living in Norway in 1879. The play opened on Thursday October 2nd in the Marshall Performing Arts Center on The University of Minnesota Duluth Campus.
ReplyDeleteIt was apparent at the first performance that the cast was still adjusting their timing and reaction that comes with having a live audience resulting in a few long pauses and stuttered lines. However, these little mishaps as completely understandable and excusable since the overall idea of the play was still translated to the audience. Performing a translated play does present certain challenges as far as word choice clarity and meaning changes when going from one language to another. The cast perhaps could have put more effort in to delivering lines such as “sky lark”, “squirrel”, and “wonderful” with less awkwardness or hesitancy.
The strongest aspect of the show as a whole was the chemistry between Delorenzo and Speters, and how they showed the complexity of the love between the Nora and Torvald. It is very hard to show a love for another person that is as complicated as it is for Nora and Torvad since they do love each other, but it is a selfish love since Torvald does not respect Nora the way he should. Both actors understood and communicated to the audience that complexity in a raw and real way, but at the same time the chemistry appeared to be more of a tie between two people around each other in practice daily rather than a married couple who has been living together for years.
The technical aspects of the show were precise and clean. The overall look of the living room fit with the time period: the color choices, costumes, furniture, the Christmas decorations, and the general layout of the set. It was a powerful choice to have the set change at the end of the third act. However, it did not fit with the period in any way, and it seemed out of place to put symbolism at the end of a very straight play. But it did convey to the audience that Torvald’s life was falling apart at that point in time, which was probably the main reason for it as an artistic choice.
From this play, the audience should have gained a greater appreciation for the struggle that women in the past went through in their daily lives in the 1800’s and the oppression they experienced because of their gender alone. The first wave of feminism and the rise of women’s rights as a concept began in the late 1800’s, and bringing political topics to a live theatrical production was groundbreaking as theatre had only been used for entertainment previously. This theme was translated well to the audience as themes of feminism are still present today, however, without knowing the history of Isben writing the play it would be hard for an audience member to pick up on the severity of Nora’s actions.
A Doll’s House, put on by the Department of Theatre at UMD, was beautifully done; not only due to the use of stage space and costumes, but in how the characters themselves were portrayed throughout the performance.
ReplyDeleteThe use of a thrust stage and proscenium mixture as well as the intricate design of the stage made it seem like the audience was watching something in real life unfold before their eyes. This was enhanced by the ease of conversation between the characters; making it appear as though these words really had just been spoken for the first time; rather than having been rehearsed beforehand.
Not just that, but the actors and actresses stepped into their character’s shoes beautifully. Katelin DeLorenzo played a strong, yet sad character Nora. It was obvious she wanted to be happy. Unfortunately, when she realized that wasn’t going to happen, her grief was almost palpable.
Jayson Speters, who played Torvald, did a magnificent job of showing the various sides of the man. In the very beginning it is difficult to think of him as a bad person, but as the story progresses you start to think of the relationship as less lovey-dovey and more as controlling and a bit frightening. Of course, the audience does not get the full effect of this until the end of the play when Torvald does a compete 180 and mentally bashes his wife for doing only what she thought best to help him at the time.
Mikaela Kurpierz, who played Mrs. Linde, had very little time on stage when compared to the other actors and actresses, but she held the audience’s attention whenever she was up there. Her words were believable and her expressions accurately portrayed what she was feeling in any given scene. For example, when Nora asked her not to tell Torvald about her meeting with Krogstad, the audience could clearly see her confusion, hesitation, and overall wariness about the situation.
Erik meixelsperger, who played Krogstad, had a very strong personality. Due to the nature of his visits, attention directed at him tended to be more negative, but that quickly changed towards the end of the play when he found just a small light in his life in the form of a long, lost love; Kayla. At the same time, his rapid change in opinion seems not unlike Torvald’s a short while later when he finds the letter defacing Nora and threatening himself. The result and cause was nowhere near the same, but the similarities between the two are hard to ignore. It begs the question; what might Krogstad have done if he had been in Torvald’s position and Kayla in Nora’s? Given his actions, it may be safe to say he would have gone through with Nora’s wonderful thing, defending Kayla in her time of need. It is hard to say this for sure, but the idea behind it might suggest that as difficult as he was in the play, Krogstad was not an entirely bad person.
Joe Cramer, who played Dr. Rank, was able to convincingly play the part of an older, dying man. In the play it was also necessary for him to act the friend of Nora while harboring feelings of affection towards her. Eventually he does reveal these feelings, but even then he needed to act as one would expect a man in his position to act. It was easy to feel sympathy for him; knowing the man would be dying alone. Unfortunately his death was overshadowed towards the end of the play, but it was not something the audience would have been able to forget easily.
Kayla Peters, who played Anne, was so poised and elegant throughout the play. Being such a strong, independent, and caring woman, it was in Nora’s favor that she showed up when she did. It was clear she cared deeply for Nora and wished only for her to be happy and safe; even if that meant taking away the security she had thought would keep her up. As an outsider to the home, it was interesting to see how Kayla reacted to various things within the house that the other actors may have seen as completely normal.
All in all, this performance was a fantastic representation of the play and was well worth the time and money to see.
A Doll’s House by Tom Ibsen opened on October 2nd. This show by UMD was absolutely fantastic on October 8th. The acting, costumes and set made the show believable. It also made the very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThis show was very well cast. The role of Nora was played very well by Katelin DeLorenzo. The way she delivered her lines made it very believable. The way she walked throughout the stage with such confidence. Every word was said with good enunciation, this made sure the audience got all of the dialect. The role of Torvald was played by Jason Speters. He captured the character of Torvald with confidence and charisma. The way he carried himself throughout the stage portrayed his character as a confident, wealthy man. Which is what Torvald is. The way Speters said his lines made his character believable. The way he talked to Nora, you could just tell how much he loved her. The way he delivered his lines also showed one of the main themes of this show. Which is how he treats Nora like she belongs to him. The role of Mrs. Linde was played by Mikaela Kurpierz. She Played Mrs. Linde with poise and confidence. She delivered her lines really well. A clear example of this is in the first scene she comes to Nora’s house. She arrives and greets Nora, and they talk about how long It’s been and such. Then she talks about all the hardships she has been through. During this she shows the audience how her plan was to get money. Even though she was talking to Nora, the audience got the ulterior motive. This is even before Nora picks up on it. Dr. Rank, played by Joe Cramer also did a great job. Every time he moved, said a line showed his age. This made him much more believable. Also the way he acted around Nora, you could tell that he had feelings for her. The audience had something to foreshadow, which kept them more entranced in the show. The role of Anne was played by Kayla Peters. She took Anne and made her extremely impressive. While she did not get as much time on stage, all of the time she had was absolutely amazing. She had such wonderful facial expression, and her lines were always perfectly said. The audience would look forward to seeing her next.
The set was absolutely beautiful. It was almost hard to believe that it was all made by UMD. Everything from the walls to the decorations fit the era of the show. The decorations were placed very properly and organized. When the audience first walked in they could tell instantly it was a house for someone of wealth.
The costume and makeup designer Patricia Dennis absolutely outdid herself. The dresses were very detailed and fit the time perfectly. It added to the overall image of the 1800s. The makeup also added to this affect. Overall, a Doll’s House was a well-played, articulated show. The audience loved every minute of it.
In the Marshall Performing Arts Center, UMD’s theatre program presented their production of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. Tom Isbell, the director, put on an enjoyable show that showed the very controversial issue of domestic disputes. It is because this issue still happens today that this milestone play still holds prevalence in today’s theatre. As enjoyable as it was, they could have improved the production by reexamining how the actors expressed emotion.
ReplyDeleteThe acting done by Katelin DeLorenzo, who acted as Nora, and Jayson Speters, who acted as Torvald, was not as convincing or impacting as it perhaps could have been by the end of the production. While most of the acting done by these two was done very well with excellent body language and projection, the overall tone or attitude about their relationship didn’t seem to escalate as much as it should have. DeLorenzo at the beginning was very light hearted and stoic, and as the play progressed her demeanor didn’t really change a great deal. It seemed she was just raising her voice and the anger and depression needed wasn’t there by the end when finally confronting Speter’s character. Speters was similar, in that toward the end his emotions didn’t seem to connect with the idea that his character wanted Nora all to himself. The controlling, jealous, and even desperate feelings for Nora were there for a moment, but wasn’t carried on nearly long enough and seemed to fizzle out.
Mrs. Linde, played by Mikalea Kurpierz, could have also reexamined how she acted out her character. Kurpierz did a wonderful job in the beginning by showing her character’s depression and desperate attempt to do something by going to Nora, whom she presumably hadn’t seen in years, but fell short of the dynamic character Mrs. Linde should have become. She seemed like a rather bland character about half way through the show, keeping a similar tone from beginning to end. As a woman who gets her life rather straightened out, Kurpierz stuck with monotonous actions, most notably, her voice as she went through acts two and three. Perhaps she could have used more inflections in her voice or showed more happiness as the play went toward her favor. Kurpierz did say she felt her character was very reserved, and this could have influenced the result.
In the end, Isbell’s "A Doll’s House" production was interesting to see, but did not carry the weight relationship strain and domestic disputes has as an issue. The acting seemed too lighthearted from the essential two main characters Nora and Torvald. The tense moments in the end lost realism because the emotions put out did not weigh as heavily as they could have. Despite this, all the actors really seemed to fit how their characters would look like. It would be hard to imagine them as any other person after seeing this play for a first time. It will be interesting to see these actors in future productions and see how they adapt to varying personalities their characters will have.
Artistic Combination of Theatre Spaces Sets Doll’s House Apart
ReplyDeleteThe production of A Doll’s House by the UMD Theatre Department proved to be, in many ways, unforgettable. Director Tom Isbell flipped Henrik Ibsen’s 19th century to match modern dialogue, humor, and even sarcastic tone of voice. What really set this performance apart from other renditions of A Doll’s House, though, was the use of theater space.
The performance, which took place at UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center, was presented on a stage unlike any other. Isbell’s combination of a traditional proscenium theater and a more dimensional thrust stage (in which the stage is “thrust” into the audience) was genius. The thrust portion of the stage allowed three sides to be viewed by the audience, which enabled the audience to view the actors as if they were sitting in the same room as them. The proscenium portion allowed depth and more realistic scenery to the stage, while still allowing the actors to roam out onto the thrust portion.
The lighting in particular was spectacular and made it easy for audiences to fall deep into the plot. The lighting changed from scene to scene, and even highlighted the most memorable part of the show, the last scene. The eerie darkness that fell over the stage in the last moments of the play revealed true emotions of the main character, Nora. As the darkness fell across the stage and the spotlight hit Nora, audiences could understand her thoughts. The lighting presented the stage in a different perspective that made it easy for audience members to take away the most important message of the play, women’s independence.
This combination of a proscenium and a thrust proved to be the perfect stage for this particular play, as it showcased the talent of the scene director, prop artists, costume designer, lighting designer, and of course, the actors.
Lead actor Jayson Speters and lead actress Katelin Delorenzo were well-executed in their roles of Nora and Torvald. At times the young actors failed to capture the dramatization of the arguments between the characters, but this cannot be accredited to their acting skills. It is particularly difficult to capture the essence of a well-seasoned marriage and the arguments that come along with it with such young actors. Speters and Delorenzo did a fantastic job of using modern language and relating the somewhat-outdated dialogue to modern times.
The chemistry was apparent between the two actors, and they flowed about the stage with such natural cohesion that it was almost believable that they were an actual couple. The problem comes only in the arguments that occurred between the characters. The actors were simply not seasoned enough to provide an emotionally believable performance when arguing. Perhaps an older audience member may notice that they fought as if they were in a relationship, not a marriage.
Despite a few minor hiccups in the performance aspect, The Doll’s House was a delightful and intriguing show to watch. The stage and lighting were beautifully artistic, making the entire show a play to remember.
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a play of importance in the history of theatrical plays. Ibsen tries to express the “radical” ideas of women superiority and independence in this play by making the audience and the general public think of a woman’s role in society as not always cooking, cleaning, and being submissive. He wanted to show that women did have a mind of their own, and their husbands, in turn, were actually the close minded ones.
ReplyDeleteIn this play, the actors, although not always perfect, did a pretty great job in portraying this telling story. The cast as a whole definitely embodied the characters and made the play much more pleasant to watch, despite the heavy dialogue. Katelin DeLorenzo, also known as Nora, did a fantastic job with her character in A Doll’s House. She made watching the show enjoyable in those dialogue heavy scenes. The way that she almost floated everywhere she went when she went to the kitchen, to be with the kids, or just to open the door she had a very airy quality. Almost like a “doll,” in fact. Whether or not that was the intention of the director, the audience does not know. There were also some more “doll” allusions, that were seen throughout the play, whether done intentionally or unintentionally. Towards the end of the show, there was a seen between Nora and Torvald where Torvald was berating Nora, but Nora was sitting on an ottoman with a blank stare sitting incredibly still as a doll would. However, as an audience member, there was a craving for a more gradual change toward the more independent Nora. It seemed to happen so abruptly. That was the only drawback that was seen of Nora’s character. Otherwise, DeLorenzo did a fantastic job being the female lead.
Knowing and understanding the importance of this play, does make one view the play differently. There were some technical things in the show that could take an audience member completely out of being totally enthralled within the show. Because of the dimmer lighting of the set, the lighting could make an audience member doze off for a second or two and unintentionally miss some of the crucial points of the play. Additionally, in the set design there is a chimney in front of is what is believed to be Torvald’s office. If an audience member was sitting on the far left or even the left side of the middle section, they missed many facial expressions and interactions that happened through that door. There were some scenes between Mrs. Linde and Nora, although necessary because it established both their relationship and Mrs. Linde’s background and history, that did seem to drag on a little bit. The first act and second act also seemed uneven in length, which is typical for a play or musical, however, in the first act there seemed like there were many places that could have segmented into an intermission. The decision to allow the set movement at the end of the show was definitely a risky and brave decision by the director. The way that the house both broke apart and moved was incredibly intriguing. The symbolism of a “broken” home, leaving Torvald in the dark and Nora walking away in the light was incredibly powerful. The way that the house broke apart did seem a more contemporary style, but the director was still able to adapt it for this production.
Overall, A Doll’s House was an outstanding production. The director, Tom Isbell, provided a wonderful play despite the heavy dialogue, while still holding the importance of this controversial Henrik Ibsen play and keeping it interesting.
Wednesday October 1st, UMD’s Theater program presented the show “A Doll’s House,” directed by Tom Isbell which was performed in the Marshall Performing Arts Center. I loved how the language was set in the 19th century so it wasn’t the typical style of dialogue the aspect of “setting” really crafted how this play was supposed to be presented. The Helmer household is on a turntable that revolves like a kid’s carousel. Images glide by — a Christmas tree glows in electric lights in the den, servants stealing a sweet moment in a bedroom, the man of the house working in his office, and, naturally, a door at the end of a hall. Throughout most of the show, Nora, played by Katelyn DeLorenzo, is disregarded by her banker husband Torvald, played by Jason Speters, as somewhat of a child that knows nothing. He has an assortment of pet names like – “my skylark” “my swallow,” “little bluebird” – He says these things because he believes Nora has a birdbrain not truly able to comprehend anything intellectual or scholarly. He belittles her during the end of the play because of the secret he finds out about what Nora did. She took out a loan from Nils Krogstad, played by Erik Meixelsperger, but it was only because she thought that’s what would be best for the Helmer household. Speters also did a great job of hiding the fact that he’s a typical husband from the 1800s only showing more of his negative side as the play roles on.
ReplyDeleteThe scenery on stage was amazing! I loved how the lights grew dim when the characters left the room for a minute. Everything on stage was elaborate and the lantern on the table contributed to the setting very cleverly. The seats allowed for optimal viewing of the play making the audience feel as if they are standing in the living room. Another thing I noticed about the production was its wonderful crafting of the character’s costumes. The dress Nora and the rest of the women were wearing resembled an ensemble that all the women use to wear back in the late 1800’s. She was wearing a dress that curved outward sloping along her back but not making contact with the back at all. All the dresses had white trim with dark, vibrant, colors that looked beautiful under the dim lighting. In fact, the dress was complex and perplexing at times I thought it looked unbelievably difficult to make. I like the implied message that the play gave us which is that women should not be treated like objects, Nora who turns herself from a little girl treated as a toy to a grown woman, is a symbol of the feminist movement an organization trying to empower woman so that they don’t end up like her.
The sounds of the play really confused me especially around the start when the music was playing kind of loud and you can’t hear much dialogue between the characters on stage. I am still pondering if this was a deliberate move or if the production made a mistake. If they did make a mistake, I believe they did a great job bouncing back and covering it up because by the end of the play that was the last thing I was thinking about. All the characters in the play developed in very surprising fashions. I would have never thought that Nora ends up killing herself at the end of the play because she shows several different sides including her happy and joyful side making the audience believe she’s not capable of doing such a thing. Overall I am sad at how the play turned out, but you can never just show the positive sides of family and society, dark aspects like secrets and deceit must be brought to the light as well.
ReplyDeleteOn October 8th I got to watch one of the most intriguing plays out there it was produced by Tom Isbell in the UMD theatre department. I thought the actors and actresses did really well. The way the play started is different from how it ended me as one of the audience I didn’t think that the play would end in a sad moment like that. I thought the language was well spoken as if it was actually in the 19th century, it was a heavy language that’s how I was able to know it was an old language, and somehow the language was still understandable. At some parts in the beginning, Katelin Delorenzo who played the character of Nora’s, her tone sounded like a younger girl who might be in college or in high school at first. I couldn’t tell if she was a married women or not, but then after I saw Jayson Speters who played the role of Torvald and found out he was her husband I was kind of surprised. Torvald played a more of a confusing role at he would treat Nora kindly even though during the play he would aggressively yell at her. Towards the end of the play Nora’s husband Torvald surprises the audience about his true colors and he was more of the selfish one in the relationship, he wanted her to sort of obey his laws although she was just trying to help him and that’s why it ended the way that the audience expected. I thought Jayson Speters did that part really good I was impressed by the he performed on Stage. The rest of the actors performed fantastic as well. Another actor who I thought was also really interesting was Joe Cramer; I thought he played the role of Dr. Rank really good it was sort of touchy and emotional because he was acting the kindest one in the whole play, he cared about Nora the most, he tried as much to help her but he had no control over a lot of things. Cramer did a great job acting as the old deadly guy. Also Kayla Peters who played the role of Anne, the maid/housekeeper, she did a good job on taking care of the Helmer house on keeping it clean. She also listened to Nora the most. Meixelsperger did an incredible job playing the mean lawyer; right when he goes in on stage you would know he has a very serious personality
The stage set up was absolutely perfect it looked like it was the proscenium stage style, I was sitting at a well seen spot, I could see the whole stage and being able to focus on what was going in the whole play where everybody was moving on stage. The movements of the actors and actresses was well done, I thought every single movement they did was timed really good. That was impressing as well; it somehow looked like it was performed professionally. Another thing that drove my attention really well on looking more into the play was the designing of the costumes; it was a good achievement by the costume designers, they looked really shiny and neat. Overall the play was well performed I high recommend watching A Doll’s House for everybody, It somehow influences people in real life, it is based of real life situations. it also teaches the audience a lot about unselfishness and being honest to yourself.
On Saturday October 4th UMD’s Department of Theatre put on an excellent performance of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The scene was set back in time to the late 1800’s during the days leading up to the Christmas holiday. The play revolved around the home of Torvald and Nora Helmer who appeared to be “moving up” with their financial status and reputation. Tom Isbell seemed to choose a wise and talented cast who performed very well throughout the entire play. The most valuable aspect of the performance was the emotion and thoughtfulness each actor/ actress put into their roles. Nora who was played by Katelin Delorenzo was very realistic and personal in her line delivery. Her facial expressions, hand movements, and eye contact made the audience feel as though they were watching a conversation or scene play out as if it were actually occurring. Nora had to deal with a hidden secret that brought her from an excited and upbeat young lady to one that ripped out her husbands loving emotions. For each of the emotions within this spectrum Katelin played the emotions of Nora beautifully. Some of the language in certain lines however, sounded fairly memorized and merely recited. For the most part though this action was kept to a barely noticeable level and didn’t effect a great portion of her part. Torvald the character played by Jayson Speters for the most part seemed to be well-rehearsed and fluid with lines and actions around the performance space. The majority of the play took place in or around Torvold’s house and he seemed to take pride with everything in it, especially his wife Nora. The lines Torvold used with Nora to me seemed to a bit repetitive and could have been changed up just a little bit. He seemed to tell Nora she was his little “skylark” or “bird” very often and it would have been nice to see that mixed up a bit. That being said this may have been exactly how Ibsen wanted it to be. That being said for being a younger actor Jayson played the role of an older married male quite well. He had a very sincere and determined tone throughout and acted as many men would in a situation where he finds out what his wife had ben up to. Aside from Nora and Torvold perhaps the most clever and well played part came from the actor Joe Cramer who portrayed Dr. Rank. He was put into a role of an elderly witty man who was holding in his secret love for Nora. As a family friend of the family and knowledable man there were a lot of emotions taking hold of the character throughout. As a younger actor Joe was able to use those emotions to his advantage and deliver a stunning performance throughout. His small nuances, facial expressions, and even vocabulary made the character of Krogstad stand out among the others with a wonderful performance. Mrs. Linde, played by Mikaela Kurpierz made it seem as though her character was rather flat and fairly uninteresting for the most part. This too seemed to be exactly what Ibsen had in mind and by the end had showed some character development by ramping up her mood. Krogstad played by Joe Cramer also started out as a rather uninteresting character. That took a quick turn when he presented himself as a very cunning and demanding antagonist. The audience reacted to his character with moods of fear, anger, and uncomfort. Over the course of the play his role changed and he began to show a more warm and forgiving side. Anne played by Kayla Peters flip-flopped in and out of the set quite frequently. Her lines seemed well rehearsed and fluid which is to be expected given a somewhat limited role. She was able to mold the small portions of transitions well and brought some of the characters together. The lighting, costumes and scene design conducted behind the scenes by a number of different people, most notably Patricia Dennis and Curtis Phillips, appeared to be flawless. Every characters costume seemed appropriate for the time and make-up was fairly light. The lighting was also impressive as there were many times where specific diming and lighting of different sections of the stage were required.
ReplyDeleteOn Saturday, October 4, 2014 the University of Minnesota Duluth’s theatre department put on a play A Doll’s House. The setting of the play took the audience back to the late 1800’s around the Christmas holiday. The entire play took place in the living room of Torvald and Nora’s house. The cast that was chosen for A Doll’s House was very well planned out. Nora was very well done, her character was a woman whose main concern was money and the ideal life that every woman of that era dreams of, having a husband, a nice home, and children. Until she realizes that she is an independent woman and that she can do things on her own for herself. Torvalds character is the breadwinner of the household; he makes all the money and controls the money and the household. In the era that the play takes place woman are not allowed to handled money or take out loans or have anything to do with that. At first I didn’t really get the plot of the play, as a college student with not a ton of experience with plays it was a little dry at the beginning. The main theme of Nora’s character becoming a strong independent woman, was not very clear to me until the very end. However Nora’s character was the one character I really enjoyed watching progress throughout the play. At the beginning she was hiding things from Torvald, such as candies and she was always asking him for money. As the play went on Nora became more aware of the fact that she can be independent and should be able to take out her own loan under her own name and not have to lie about it. The whole concept of Nora having to go behind Torvald’s back in order to take out a loan just to save her own husband life was dramatic and I liked it because it made the story line real and believable. Because in that time period woman were not able to make any decisions with out the approval of the husband, and Nora was not going to let her husband die so she broke the law in order to save Torvald. Another thing I also really enjoyed was Torvald’s character and how he also developed throughout the play. At the beginning of the play Torvald seemed as though he was the perfect husband and he loved his “little skylark” to the moon and back and as the story progressed Torvald became a different person in my eyes. When Nora broke the news to Torvald about the loan that was taken out and how she did it, he became an entirely different person. He went from good to controlling in seconds. This part of the play was my favorite of all because it showed me how people can change in a heartbeat when something in the relationship goes wrong. Nora revealed that she barrowed the money to save his life and Torvald became irate with anger and started saying stuff he didn’t mean. However, to me it was almost as if his true colors came through in that short period of the play. At that moment the story became real to me and the play became something I could relate real life events to. The ending of the play was quite spectacular because it wasn’t something I had expected which was nice because for me the beginning of the play was a tad bit dry and not as interesting and then the ending was exhilarating and eventful.
ReplyDeleteOn October 9th, 2014, the UMD Department of Theatre produced a play by the name of A Doll’s House, by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Under the direction of Tom Isbell, the Department of Theatre’s performance had set out to share a dramatic and honest depiction of a family in the late nineteenth century. Heavily controversial for its time, A Doll’s House carried an impactful message concerning a person’s sense of identity. The performance at UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center featured enriching set design and effects, in addition to a strong lead actress.
ReplyDeleteAs the play began, the design of the set and the costumes of the characters immediately suggested the overall context of the setting. Taking place in Northern Europe during the late nineteenth century, the mid-to-upper class stylings of the Helmer’s household and their wardrobe provided subtle hints discerning the decorum and image expected of them. Additionally, the overall arrangement of the set pieces established the play’s tone as down-to-earth and contained within small, yet personal boundaries. Emphasizing the couch and table areas of the stage, these areas provided a clear view of the actors in their various scenes. Though due to the uncommon shape of the stage in relation to the seating arrangements, a few scenes introduced the actors in portions of the set that were obscure to certain areas of the audience. The set’s lighting provided a vivid view of the performance without serving as a distraction to the actors or the audience. Concerning the end of the play, the moment when the house literally fell apart suggested a powerful visual metaphor that the stability of the protagonist’s family relied on her. Additionally, a sound similar to a gunshot played as lights dimmed, though the intended meaning of this effect came off as unclear. The overall set design, costumes, and effects ended up supporting the presentation of the play, as opposed to detracting from it.
On the subject of actors, A Doll’s House provided an enjoyable performance from the cast of six actors and actresses. The protagonist of the story, Nora Helmer, served as possibly the most complex aspect of the play, while Nora’s actress, Katelin DeLorenzo, provided a bold, yet nuanced performance. The character of Nora seemed to exist within multiple layers, each of which contained aspects of her life and personality of which she hid or presented to others, depending on the relationship. DeLorenzo attempted to represent this multifaceted personality through a variety of actions when the character of Nora said one thing but thought another. These actions included quick glances, subtle changes in facial expression, and subdued movements in body language. When the tone of a scene swiftly changed, DeLorenzo provided an accompanying alteration to her mannerisms, perhaps in a realistic manner. The supporting cast, consisting of Jayson Speters as Torvald Helmer, Mikaela Kurpierz as Mrs. Linde, Erik Meixelsperger as Krogstad, Joe Cramer as Dr. Rank, and Kayla Peters as Anne, each provided a fair performance. Speters, Kurpierz, and Meixelsperger possibly felt subdued during the first two acts of the performance, but seemed to have warmed up by the time of Act III. Their portrayals felt lacking in terms of realism relative to DeLorenzo, though they later seemed to find an inner emotion that guided their projection during dramatic and heated scenes. Cramer and his character injected what is perhaps great charm, and grimness at times, throughout the performance. The overall casting felt like an acceptable fit, especially in terms of the protagonist.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House originally set out to show audiences a realistic, unromanticized depiction of family life during the period of Ibsen’s lifetime. The UMD Department of Theatre’s attempt to produce this play for a modern audience is a success, due to the communicative, yet undistracting scenic design, in addition to the strong performances from a small cast.
Walking into the theater, the first thing noticed about A Doll’s House was the impressive set. Of course, this was quickly overshadowed by the powerful performance. UMD’s production had powerful actors, an impressive set, and beautiful technical elements.
ReplyDeleteThe set was a seemingly perfect post-Victorian Norwegian living room. The tiled stove at first seemed out of place, but upon closer inspection, it actually fit the room quite well. All the furniture matched, and gave the stage a very realistic feel. Everything was perfectly placed, from the lace doilies to the Christmas decorations, and helped make the first scene seem even more perfect, although later, this is shown not to be true. The shift as the play gets more and more dark is mirrored in the lighting, which slowly shifted from amber to blue over the course of the show. This is a very subtle change, but it helps show Nora’s mental and emotional change. The music also mirrored this, starting out upbeat and cheerful, and slowing becoming more and more somber. These were small things, which an ordinary viewer might not even notice, but they really affected the way the viewer felt as the show went on. Also, the doorbell sound was very accurate and sounded wonderful. It lent to the overall feeling of a “perfect” home. Also lending to the feeling of “perfection” were the costumes. Each piece was exquisite, from the period shoes all the way to the women’s old fashioned hairstyles. Even the way Nora’s hair fell out during the Tarantella symbolized the beginning of her “unraveling” and emotional downward journey.
Katelin DeLorenzo was wonderfully cast as Nora. She began the show seeming sweet, naive, and more than a little shallow. However, even at the beginning, it was hinted at that something underneath was bothering her. These undertones became more and more pronounced as the show continued, eventually taking over her entire being. DeLorenzo handled this change gracefully, slowly shifting Nora’s emotional state. Nora’s casual banter with Torvald at the beginning seemed forced, but as her secret came closer and closer to being revealed, it all made sense. Jayson Speters as Torvald gave an excellent performance, delivering each condescending line with ease, and reacting predictably to each of Nora’s outbursts and antics. However, he, too, went through emotional changes. Speters let Torvald’s cracks begin to show during Act 2, and portrayed Torvald’s confusion and mental devastation beautifully. Mikaela Kurpriez was wonderful as Christine. Her character is much more static than either Nora or Torvald, but her character takes more time to reveal. Her chemistry with Erik Meixelsperger as Krogstad was wonderful, and they both played into eachother’s characters well. Meixelsperger gave an excellent performance, playing the villain in the very beginning, and slowly winning the audience’s sympathy as he revealed more of himself and began to change. The whole cast worked well together, each interacting with each other in wonderful character that perfectly showed how they all felt about and related to each other.
Overall, A Doll’s House was a powerful show, beautifully executed, and in which the ending begged the question “Who is really at fault?”
As the dramaturg of "A Doll’s House" stated, it can be dangerous to call a play historic. However, the UMD Theatre Department did not seem to struggle with that. This adaptation of A Doll’s House stayed true to the original intent of the playwright, Henrik Ibsen, yet it was modern and relatable for an audience of today’s world in a reputable performance with only a few minor slips.
ReplyDeleteThe set was breathtaking, and became even more so at the end when all of the set pieces fell away, revealing the lead character, Nora, played by Katelin Delorenzo, walking away into the night. It´s hard to imagine a better way to symbolize the household falling apart. However, the execution of this set piece removal was less than expert. Mistakes happen -- it’s only human nature, after all -- but when the far right set piece smacked against the piano, it was a noticeable hitch in what could have been a seamless execution. The lighting was very well done, giving the impression of candlelight, or perhaps oil-burning lamps. Overall, the setting of the play was represented in a very realistic and impressive way.
The start of the play was well done in terms of introducing the audience to the setting, just before Christmas, but it was also a little bit perplexing. Was the audience supposed to be able to hear the dialogue between the characters? Or was it only meant to be meaningless holiday chatter? The level of the background music and the dialogue on stage seemed to be exactly equal, making it kind of a battle for the audience to interpret. Was the opening dialogue important? If so, it was very difficult to hear. After somewhat of a rough start, however, the play really took off and blossomed as the plot deepened, and seemed to captivate the audience from start to finish.
One consistently enjoyable component of the play was the costuming. It seems that a lot of work was put into the costumes of the show. They were on point for each character, and for the time period.
Nora (Delorenzo) and Torvald, played by Jayson Speters, do seem considerably difficult to portray, and the actors clearly put in their work. While the majority of the time, Delorenzo and Torvald were in character, it seemed that they may have slipped out of their roles once or twice during the performance. However, they both delivered a very powerful ending with surprising depth.
One supporting cast member that did a consistently wonderful job was Mikaela Kurpriez, portraying the character of Christine. Kurpriez seemed to grasp the depth of her character well, and reacted realistically to her friend Nora´s naivety.
Despite some of the hitches in the seemingly challenging performance, the performance was overall very enjoyable, with a well-done set, lovely costuming, and a talented cast. The message of the play was very well-delivered.
ReplyDeleteThe story of A Doll’s house is set in Norway in the year of 1879. The story of Nora and Torvald Helmer is not a light night of theatre to say in the least. In this timeless classic the Helmer’s face trials and tribulations of marriage and status in 1879. Men and women were very much not equals and Nora is one woman that found this out the hard way.
Considering the original text of the play, the UMD cast of A Doll’s House did a fantastic job following the originality of the text and characters. Nora Helmer, played by Katelin DeLorenzo, did a wonderful job in playing the flighty, slightly rebellious, young wife and mother. DeLorenzo should have looked a little more mature for her character but thats understandable considering the age diversity to be chosen from was very small. Her character was very well developed and seemed to be in touch with her own emotions as well during the performance. Jayson Speters, performing as Torvald Helmer, was a great fit for the character of Torvald. The character is very obsessed about his own reputation and loves to “play” with his doll wife Nora and Speters completely followed through on that aspect of the character. Throughout the play, Torvald calls Nora a variety of demeaning nicknames including “my little bird”, “my fragile little swallow” and “my little Nora”. Torvald is constantly treating Nora like she is a child and playing with her like a doll. The audience could tell that Speters had worked very hard on making sure his character was developed to be the demeaning character that Torvald is.
As far as supporting characters go, the actors playing Dr. Rank, Mrs. Linde and Krogstad connected to their own characters in a very apparent way. Krogstad, played by Erik Meixelsperger, connected emotionally to the very contradictory character that is Krogstad. He is willing to throw as many people down as possible in order to have his life all put back together. One could see the hurt and desperate look coming from Meixelsperger’s eyes whenever he delivered a line. Mrs. Linde, played by Mikayla Kurpierz, a practical woman that is one of Nora’s childhood friends. Kurpierz was not the expected actress to play the role in the first act of the show but her development of the character really grew on the audience through out the performance. In the beginning of the show, when Mrs. Linde first arrives, Nora has no idea why Linde has made the trip to her house on Christmas Eve. None the less, Mrs. Linde becomes a dear friend to Nora again and helps her through her decision about the mistake that Nora has made and Kurpierz showed all of these emotions clearly on her face for any situation. Dr. Rank, played by Joe Cramer, accepts the fate that has come on to him by the end of the play. Cramer physically looked that part, with the grey hair and beard, as well as the cane. In the scene where Rank confesses his love for Nora, he didn’t actually look in love with her. As described in the novel, Rank is madly in love with Nora and the confession of his love is suppose to be so expressive and that is not the reaction given by Cramer.
The University of Minnesota Duluth’s production of A Doll’s House was executed greatly. The actors, scene designers, props masters and technical staff should be very proud of the work they have all put into a production like this one.
The story of Nora Helmer in A Doll's House is full of lies and deceit as we see her dig herself a whole so deep that it destroys her marriage, her family, and her life as everything she tries to cover up unravels at the end of the play.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this play twice now, the first being at the Guthrie in Minneapolis performed by professionals. Seeing the UMD students made me feel like I was back at the Guthrie because the whole cast was fantastic, just as good as the cast at the Guthrie. Katelin DeLorenzo, Nora, was excellent with her role to play the lost young mother in an area that she didn't fit in. It was easy to follow the thoughts and feelings of young Nora throughout the play since she her body language was so easily conveyed to the audience. The physical appearance of Nora was pretty acceptable considering DeLorenzo is only a college student. What made DeLorenzo look more mature was her hair style and her dress. The actor of Torvald Helmer,Jayson Speters, was a great fit for his role as the husband of his "little doll". Throughout the play Torvald treats Nora as if she was apart of the children. He tells her to go play her tambourine and calls her demeaning names to show how much he actually treats her like child. Torvald is also a man of reputation and makes decisions around the company to look like a honorable boss who rules with an iron fist (no outside influence on his decisions for example Nora). Torvald makes a comment to Nora in the first half of the play about forgery and how awful it is to commit such a crime when the were talking about what Krogstad and what he had done to deserve such a bad reputation. This is the first hint in the play where can guess what one of the grave mistakes Nora has committed but it isn't actually revealed to us until later in the play.
The supporting actors for this play seemed to fit the requirements of the characters in this play. For Krogstad, the actor for this role fits him very well. His physical appearance is a tall, grim looking man who has nothing but bad news to bring throughout the play. Krogstad holds the key to guarantee Nora's place as the mother of her house and Torvald from finding what she has done, but Nora needed to guarantee Krogstad's position at the bank by influencing Torvald for Krogstad to not tell Torvald. Dr. Rank is an old doctor and good family friend of the Helmer's. The actor for Dr. Rank fits his physical appearance very well with his old age and gives off a kind and caring vibe. In the play he has accepted the fact that he is going to die soon (hence the cane and elderly feats) and with that, he makes his decisions around it. As Nora comes up with the idea to help pay off her debt by hinting to Dr. Rank for his will in the defense that he is close family friend, he confesses his love to Nora which did not turn out well for him. A long lost friend of Nora's and widow, Mrs. Linde, appears in the beginning of the play and is the only one who comes to Nora's aid to help sort out the mess she made. The actor for Mrs. Linde looks mediocre and dull as she is depicted to be. Mrs. Linde used to be associated with Krogstad and mentions something to Nora that shocks her deeply. Mrs. Linde shares with her that Krogstad lied to his family many times before and it ruined the family. When Mrs. Linde leaves the stage, Nora demands that the kids are to not see her and has her nanny take care of them to protect them from Nora's fears.
The UMD team did a splendid job and I could not have asked for any better. The stage, the cast, technical and designer aspects. Everyone should be very proud of themselves for such a great production.