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Have
we all come out of the doll’s house? Imagine you find yourself a part of a picture perfect little family. You’re a wife to a hardworking, loving husband who gives into your every whim, mother of three beautiful children whom you enjoy showering with gifts and running a lovely little home which you call your own… what could possibly go wrong with this ideal picture? Well, according to one of the most controversial playwrights to come out of the 19th Century, Hendrik Ibsen, plenty could go wrong, as he exposes the superficial, patriarchal society at the time, through his realist play A Doll’s House, which scandalised audiences during his era. The British School in Colombo (BSC) under the direction of the School’s Head of Drama and English Teacher, Anuruddha Fernando, follow in Ibsen’s footsteps to enlighten the uninformed. A Doll’s House will go on the boards of Namel Malini Punchi Theatre on February 25-27, at 7.30 p.m. A special feature of the BSC production is how a young cast has successfully managed to pull off an in depth drama such as this. Eighteen-year-old Bhanu Abayasinghe is a perfect example of how a performer can overcome the age factor quite effectively. His portrayal of Torvald Helmer is very convincing, as he brings out Torvald’s ever changing temperament in quick succession. His depiction of Torvald brings out the angle that he too is a victim of circumstances. “Torvald is not really bad, he just doesn’t know any better,” says Bhanu, quite matter-of-factly. “He only knows what society has taught him and unfortunately realised too late the error of his ways,” he adds. As it’s a small cast of just eight characters, they’ve had more opportunity to concentrate on each individual role, he said. In his understanding of the play, Bhanu says that it’s still quite a timely theme, with women still at the brunt of a sexist society, although to a lesser degree. Many actresses would find it quite challenging to portray a naïve, immature Nora in the first act and a more serious, open-minded Nora towards the end of the last act. However, these young Noras seem to be managing this transition with relative ease. It’s her debut production with BSC as she’d just joined the School, says one of the Noras, Sabrina Herft. It was probably more unheard of and scandalous for a woman to leave her husband than it is now, she says. Nora is virtually trapped by her husband and manipulated by him. Although, he loves her he treats her like a little child, says Sabrina, on her understanding of her role. “She never got to have her own opinions, as she was merely passed on from her father’s hands straight into the hands of her husband,” she adds. Sabrina says that it’s been quite difficult getting into a demure, housewife’s role, but at the same time, she found it quite interesting to explore her character. Chandri Jayathilake, the second Nora explains how each Nora approaches and interprets her role quite differently. Trying to please her father and later her husband, she seems to have little choice. Nora in reality was quite an intelligent woman, but due to society being under the view that women posed a threat to it, she in turn succumbed to male domination. “This is why even women of today can relate to the theme of this play,” says Chandri. The feminist message that rocked the stages of Europe when the play was premiered was mainly due to Nora’s rejection of marriage and motherhood. The revolutionary spirit and the emergence of modernism influenced Ibsen’s choice to focus on an unlikely heroine, a housewife, in his attack on middle-class values. Whilst Sabrina plays the playful side of Nora and Chandri brings out her more serious side, Stephanie De Mel, the last of the Noras is a fair balance of the two extremes that make up Nora. Stephanie has a knack for instantly building a good rapport or chemistry with her co-actors or actresses on stage. Be it, Torvald, Mrs. Linde, Mr. Krogstad or the nurse, her approach, tone and gestures easily adopt to each situation or person, accordingly. It’s a very feminist play, proving beyond a doubt the strength of a woman, especially since many people don’t realise that, said Stephanie. “Nora’s conflicting emotions and her multifaceted character, makes it the best role I’ve ever played. I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it and it’s been a brilliant experience” she adds. Roshan Gunawardhana, plays the evil, ‘chilling’ role of Nils Krogstad who too is forced by circumstance to resort to desperate measures to regain his lost dignity. Always having to play the comic role in past plays, Roshan says that this is the first time he’s playing an evil character as well a love scene. “Although initially it was difficult to adjust to the new type of character, Sir (Anuruddha) helped me out by telling me what to do and how best to play my character, so it was alright,” said Roshan. Krogstad was dealt quite a bad hand by life because having commited a crime in the past, he was never given a second chance. He lost his self respect, his job and even the woman he loved. The worn out, tired Mrs. Christine Linde, played by Upashama Talgaswatte, is portrayed to perfection. From her subdued tone of speech, to her drained appearance and proud yet, humble stature, she truly lives out her character. Mrs. Linde has had her fair share of burden and heartache in life which has led to her becoming embittered by it. Her independent streak is admired by and even envied by Nora. “It’s difficult to put yourself in her shoes, as she’s gone through so much in life and lived through so much more than I,” says Upashama. However, the progression in her role from the washed out, sad life, to a more stable satisfied one when she renews her old ties with Nora and gets a job, to the point where she is reunited with her true love, clinching a happy ending for her, she adds. Do we still live in A Doll ‘s House of sorts, or have we genuinely progressed? I guess there’s no other way around it but to come see for yourself… Tickets for A Doll’s House will be available at the Senior School Office at the British School in Colombo. |
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