Live and in person at the Streetcar Crow’s Nest, Toronto, Ont. Plays until Oct. 17, 2024.
Written by Henrik Ibsen
A new adaptation by Duncan Macmillan
Directed by Chris Abraham
Set and props by Joshua Quinlan
Costumes by Ming Wong
Lighting by Kimberly Purtell
Sound by Thomas Ryder Payne
Cast: Ben Carlson
Beau Dixon
Virgilia Griffith
Kate Hennig
Diego Matamoros
Jonathan Young
Sturla Alvsvåg
Alicia Richardson
Norman Yeung
Beautifully directed and acted.
The Story. It’s a year after John Rosmer’s wife has died by taking her own life. John Rosmer was a pastor at the local church but he left it because he lost his faith. He felt that his loss of faith led his wife to end her life. He is also the heir to his family’s dynasty. The Rosmer family is one of the leading families in the area. But trouble is brewing. Rebecca West was Rosmer’s wife’s companion when she was dying and Rebecca stayed on in the house after the wife died. She has become very close to John Rosmer and rumours are flying. There is also an impending election about to happen and the divisions in loyalty are forming. Rosmer intends to support the newly elected government following a reformist agenda and not the staid conservatives. But when he announces that to his brother-in-law Andreas Kroll, Kroll is enraged and this defection of the ruling class ideas. Kroll is quite firm in how the classes should behave. Rosmer and Rebecca are haunted by the memory-ghost of Rosmer’s wife; by their love for each other and the guilt they experience because of it; what people will think and the need to move forward but being thwarted.
The Production. Joshua Quinlan’s set takes up the whole room of the theatre. The configuration is similar to Uncle Vanya. The audience sits on four sides of the space. There is little furniture: a large table, a chair etc. On one side are huge glassed doors that look out onto a bridge, a river and scenery. Curtains are on either side of the large glassed doors.
Chris Abraham directs with his customary attention to detail and nuance. There is a heightened emotion to the whole enterprise, indicating the stakes in any instance are high and usually fraught. Governor Andreas Kroll (Ben Carlson) establishes this sense when he arrives in a swirl at Rosmersholm. As Andreas Kroll, Ben Carlson is precise in his clipped speech, commanding and completely confident. Class distinction rules everything he does and with whom he interacts. He holds staunchly to his beliefs and feels that Rosmer has to as well because of his stature in the community. Equally as impassioned is John Rosmer, played with conviction by Jonathan Young. He is also riddled with guilt about the death of his wife and because he loves Rebecca West (Virgilia Griffith). Rebecca West is played by Virgilia Griffith with regal composure, clarity and a steely calmness. She too has strong ideas and holds them close. She also convinces Rosmer to share those ideas. For much of the play there are tugs of war between the ideas and convictions between characters as well as the internal struggles of characters to come to grips with their fears and concerns.
Director Chris Abraham has the confident ability to keep the pace whizzing while subtly ramping up the emotion until the explosive last scene.
That said, I thought that last scene a bit confusing. Something is happening near the bridge and the river and can be seen from the double doors at Rosmersholm. Governor Andreas Kroll bursts into the room looking for Rosmer and can’t find him. He looks around the room and then leaves by another door. I can’t recall him looking out the double doors to see if perhaps Rosmer is there. Without him looking, seeing and being startled by what he is witnessing, the power of that final scene is deflated. I thought that odd-that it didn’t look like Kroll looked out the doors to see what was happening.
Henrik Ibsen wrote Rosmersholm in 1886. It’s interesting how timely the play seems because it talks of an important election coming up and how rancorous it seems, just like our modern times. And there are people in the play who staunchly believe there is only one way to think, just like today. And there is much wisdom too as in Rosmer saying: “Let the people hear all sides” of an argument. There is also this line: “Can’t we disagree without bloodshed?” Wise words ignored because of ignorance.
Comment. I wonder if the people seated in the section beside the wall that has the glassed doors can see anything that happens there. I can see fine. I wonder about the folks in the section to my right—what can they see?
I love the echoes of similar themes in Ibsen, especially the heartfelt belief, trust in people to do the right thing. Rosmer believes that people will see his way of thinking and will support the radically new government. He is emotionally shattered when that doesn’t turn out to be true.
I’m reminded of other trusting Ibsen characters. Nora in A Doll’s House is totally trusting that her husband will take the blame for her forgery when he finds out why she did it. He doesn’t take the blame and she is shattered, is not sure of anything any more and decides to leave him until she finds out who she is first. She closes the door and seeks a new, open life. Note she does not “slam” the door as has been said for the more than 100 years since the play first appeared. The stage direction says “closed the door.” I reckon some disgruntled man, writer, “critic” ranted out that Nora “slammed” the door when she left and that stuck. It’s wrong. She closed the door. She doesn’t need to slam anything to make her point.
Hedda in Hedda Gabler firmly believes she will have all the things and servants that money can buy because she was brought up to expect it. Boy, did she get that wrong. Dr. Stockmann in An Enemy of the People realizes that the town’s water supply is polluted and expects that the people will shut down the new spa because of it, never mind that the town needs tourists. Stockmann believes he will be hailed a hero for it. Boy, did he get that wrong. All these trusting, decent people (for the most part) live in a dream world when it comes down to it. Still Ibsen keeps writing about them. He’s a fascinating playwright and this production of Rosmersholm is a good indication why.
Crow’s Theatre presents:
Plays until Oct. 17, 2024
Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes (1 intermission)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Lynn,
I sat in a seat right beside the entrance. I was unable to see all the action.
I’m sure v that I contributed to me reaction to the play. As i said to the theatre, those seats should be sold as partially blocked.
Loved this play. I’m picking Chris Abraham for next AD of Stratfest ( if he wants it of course). Lynn, you have a typo ( composer instead of composure ).
Much thanks for the correction. Fixed in the review. Thanks for the eagle eye. Best, Lynn