Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Oct 8 – Nov 2, 2024
Playwright: Samuel Adamson
Director: Darrin Redgate
Cast: Alison Brooker, Henry Lopez Lopez, Will Manton, Imogen Trevillion, Julia Vosnakis, Pete Walters
Images by Bob Seary
Theatre review
In Samuel Adamson’s Wife, we see the classic play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen being staged repeatedly in England over decades, as several generations wrestle with the concept of emancipation in their own lives. Not only do women continue to grapple with their liberation in Adamson’s musings on Ibsen’s influence, it is queer people’s more recent advancements that are central to its concerns.
The writing is imaginative and pointedly witty, often thought-provoking in meaningful ways. Insufficient rigour in the production means that much of the nuance can be missed, but direction by Darrin Redgate does ensure dramatic escalation, and crucial moments prove gripping, in this two-and-a-half hour presentation.
Set design by David Marshall-Martin conveys whimsy for a comedy that is often quirky in tone. Costumes by Aibhlinn and Burley Stokes are effective at delivering colour, while Jay Murrin’s lights provide some polish, for a story that spans 83 years. Matthew Forbes’ sounds are appropriately minimal in approach, satisfactory in particular during scene transitions.
Each member of cast plays multiple roles, to mixed results. Alison Brooker, Henry Lopez Lopez and Julia Vosnakis bring conviction and energy. Will Manton and Pete Walters have strong moments as Ivar, one of the key characters, to help Wife feel relevant for a contemporary Australian audience. Imogen Trevillion is believable as Clare, pivotal at tying up all the loose ends, so that the sprawling tale may resonate with some poignancy when it really matters.
When Nora leaves her family at the conclusion of A Doll’s House, it is uncertain if she goes in search of equality, or of something else entirely different. Marginalised people know that much of life requires a system of hierarchy and therefore subjugation, yet we are rarely able to formulate new ways that allow for all to be free, choosing instead to take the place of former oppressors, and make other people bear the brunt.
Suzy Goes See 