A Doll's House

published: Sun, 1-Oct-2006   |   updated: Wed, 25-Sep-2024

Torvald Helmer in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen for the Dulwich Players at St. Barnabas Hall, Dulwich Village. Directed by Ruth Franklin. January 1990.

Wonderful, wonderful play, mostly about the emancipation of Nora, the heroine, and her realization that her life could be much more than just being married to Torvald. A proto-feminist play, if you like.

And I played the well-meaning, but ultimately strait-jacketed husband Torvald who couldn't understand the change in his wife or why she was leaving.

I consider it to be the most tragic and difficult roles I'd had to play up until that point. It affected me greatly, and I enjoyed it no end.

Also, for some reason that I'd really not delve into too deeply, all my leading ladies (whenever I'm in a leading role that is, which is less and less these days) have been wonderful, beautiful, and can act my socks off. I don't why it is, but they all make me work damn hard. Abigail was no exception: an utterly convincing Nora, and a portrayal with which I had the utmost difficulty in playing her misunderstanding dinosaur husband.

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