Sit-down, stripped-down Ibsen.
Jamie Lloyd’s production ofpeaks before the play itself begins. As members of the audience file into the Hudson Theatre, Jessica Chastain sits motionless in a wooden chair, circling the bare stage on a slow revolve. In a simple black dress and black heeled boots, she leans back and stares outward, ignoring the bustle of theatergoers climbing over each other to their seats and muttering about how well they know the play or Chastain’s movie stardom.
If only the rest of the production lived up to — or, really, departed from — that first image. Lloyd puts Chastain in that chair, then keeps her there almost all evening. The stage remains bare, and the actors play their scenes in ways that only gesture toward the action described in dialogue. You get the conceptual point rather more quickly than Lloyd thinks you will: Nora Helmer is trapped by the expectations placed on her as a bourgeois housewife.
Chastain is, of course, the big draw — in only her second appearance on Broadway despite her public persona as one of Hollywood’s biggest Juilliard-trained theater kids. In some ways, Lloyd’s staging works in her favor, since like a lot of film actors, she’s most comfortable acting in close-up — always projecting thought with her roving eyes and arching a cheekbone against the light, so you can see a misty tear on it. The larger actions, however, become forced.
There’s also a problem of pace. Chastain’s Nora seems to be onto something from the start, never totally oblivious to her situation, with a bit of flint near the surface — a kind of self-certain type she has done on film before. It’s a noble interpretation of the character but one that, like the staging, over-anticipates the woman she becomes before the play itself gets there.
I don’t mean to rag on Lloyd, because this approach has worked in the past. The British director specializes in star-cast gut-renovated classics, recently bringing to New York an exceptional
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘A Doll’s House’ Theater Review: Jessica Chastain Blazes in Intensely Intimate Take on Ibsen ClassicArian Moayed also stars in Amy Herzog’s century-straddling adaptation, given an audaciously minimalist Broadway production by Jamie Lloyd.
Read more »
Look inside a 120-year-old church a couple is renovating as their new homeSee how a Maryland couple is turning the 120-year old church they paid just $320,000 for into a dream home for their 3 kids
Read more »
New dashboard lets parents see if they can sit with kids for free on flightsA new dashboard from the Department of Transportation aims to cut down on extra fees families often pay for young children to sit with an adult family member, relative or caregiver on a flight.
Read more »
Anthony Davis, Lakers gut out a win against GrizzliesDavis has 30 points and 22 rebounds and repeatedly makes big plays down the stretch as the Lakers outlast Ja Morant-less Memphis, 112-103, for their sixth win in eight games.
Read more »
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade Sit Front Row for Zaya's Runway DebutDwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union sat front row to support Wade's daughter, Zaya, as she made her runway debut at ParisFashionWeek!
Read more »
Pediatric IBD Patients Wrestle With Lingering Gut PainChronic pain in children and adolescents with IBD is not linked to disease activity, nonetheless it impacts emotional wellbeing, which suggests psychotherapy may be warranted.
Read more »