The SJU Theatre Company will perform “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” Feb. 21-25 in the Bluett Theatre.
Written by Lucas Hnath, the play, which premiered on Broadway in 2017, is a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play “A Doll’s House.” “A Doll’s House, Part 2” takes place 15 years later in 1894.
The controversial ending of the original play had the main character Nora leave her husband to find her own happiness, a sentiment that shocked audiences at the time due to strict laws surrounding divorce and the religious importance of marriage. The sequel has Nora return to her husband after learning that they were never legally separated, a fact that could upend the successful writing career she built after leaving her husband.
Director Laura Pattillo, Ph.D, assistant professor of English and co-director of the SJU Theatre Company, said that one of the core features of the play is that there is no clear answer to the issues it raises.
“Everything [that] they bring up, there’s a lot of different sides to each of the different questions about the significance of marriage and what it means, or legal issues regarding women’s lives, or class difference,” Pattillo said. “So there’s a lot of things, a lot of moving parts and there’s a lot to think about.”
To highlight the differences between the play’s historical setting and the audience’s contemporary perspective, the characters speak in modern language, using less formal language and even a few swear words.
Clare Yeatman ’26, who plays Nora, appreciates this stylistic decision and the play’s thematic significance.
“I think it’s an interesting take on gender roles and societal expectations of people at a point in history and of viewing that through today’s lens through today’s vernacular,” Yeatman said.
Mark Maher ’08, J.D., who stepped in to play the role of Nora’s husband Torvald, said the show’s argumentative and contemporary style will help recreate the shock of the original.
“I think when you watch this, it takes Ibsen’s progressivism a step further, and deals with things that we might find a little bit controversial about polyamory [and] whether or not marriage is still an enduring thing,” Maher said. “And it gives you a better idea of how shocking that would have been to audiences at the time.”
For Maher, this performance marks his first time returning to St. Joe’s since his graduation.
“It’s comforting, in a way,” Maher said. “I remember this stage, I remember the dressing rooms…It’s like putting on a comfortable sweater.”
Pattillo said despite the fact that this play is a sequel, it has been written so that even those who have not seen the original can keep up.
“It stands on its own,” Pattillo said. “The playwright made sure that it was not something that was dependent on you knowing anything beforehand, and [it] is enough removed from a lot of the details of that [show]; there are several subplots and characters that are not in this one, and are not mentioned that you can follow it very easily without ever having seen the Ibsen play.”
Yeatman said the show’s unique style makes it important for St. Joe’s students to see.
“It really showcases a lot of humor and a lot of difficult topics and difficult understandings,” Yeatman said.
“A Doll’s House, Part 2” will be shown Feb. 21-24 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can only be purchased in cash or check at the door or in advance using Venmo.
