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Review: Reopening ‘A Doll’s House’ at South Coast Repertory

South Coast Repertory presents the world premiere of "A Doll's House, Part 2." Actors Shannon Cochran (Nora) and Bill Geisslinger (Torvald) perform on the Julianne Argyros Stage through April 30.
South Coast Repertory presents the world premiere of “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” Actors Shannon Cochran (Nora) and Bill Geisslinger (Torvald) perform on the Julianne Argyros Stage through April 30.
(Debora Robinson / South Coast Repertory)
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Writing a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama “A Doll’s House” might seem as fraught with peril as attempting to continue the adventures of “Hamlet” or “Romeo and Juliet.” Has there ever been a more final ending than the slamming of that door as Nora walks out at the end of Ibsen’s landmark play?

Well, as it turns out, Nora returned 15 years later – or at least she does in Lucas Hnath’s captivating conception entitled “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” now receiving its world premiere at South Coast Repertory. And, as in the original, she’s got a lot to say.

Danish audiences in 1879, as well as those around the world, were sharply divided by “A Doll’s House” – the play was banned for years in China. It came to signify an ancient banner for modern women’s liberation in the 20th century.

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In Hnath’s finely crafted rendition, Nora has done quite nicely on her own, as her elegant long, red dress would indicate. She’s become a successful author, under a pseudonym, but recently has become aware of one fly in her ointment – husband Torvald never divorced her – which poses myriad financial entanglements.

So she comes back, entering the door she exited through a decade and a half before, to confront her husband, comfort his housekeeper and connect with the daughter she left behind back in 1879.

Under the polished direction of Shelley Butler, Hnath’s opus contains four characters, but a fifth might be the ominous silence that prevails when one of them isn’t speaking. Mood is a vital ingredient in this “what if?” exercise which, surprisingly, contains a fair amount of comedy, especially in its earlier moments.

The key role of Nora is brilliantly enacted by Shannon Cochran, who presents a far more accomplished woman than the one who left 15 years before. Cochran projects a strong, independent spirit – the exact qualities she had been seeking – yet remains strangely unfulfilled, a condition requiring more than a divorce decree to mend.

As Torvald, who is little changed from when last seen, Bill Geisslinger matches Cochran’s intensity with an emotional chilliness that seems to mask an inner torment. He and Cochran build their boiling resentment to a resounding verbal showdown. Only his bloody injury late in the play seems somewhat deficient in context.

Veteran SCR actress Lynn Milgrim plays the aging housekeeper with a touching tenderness that erupts occasionally into the most unladylike four-letter words — especially for her character and the time period. She’s a key element in the story and one who might be expected to align with Nora, but she has her own agenda.

Finally there’s Emmy, the daughter Nora left along with her two sons. Virginia Vale tears into this character with surprising rage, nearly all of it delivered flatly and from a sitting position, as she castigates her mother’s decision to abandon the family.

Two set designers – Takeshi Kata and Se Hyun Oh – are credited with creating the sparsest backdrop yet seen on an SCR stage, enormously high with just a few chairs and uncluttered walls. Sara Ryung Clement’s costumes – especially Nora’s flowing red dress – are impressive as well.

“A Doll’s House, Part 2” never will enjoy the status achieved by the Ibsen original, but playwright Hnath will prompt renewed discussion of a woman’s place in society. It’s an intriguing first-ever look at this engrossing intellectual exercise at South Coast Repertory.

If You Go

What: “A Doll’s House, Part 2’

When: Through April 30; 7:45 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 7:45 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Where: South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: Tickets start at $22

Information: (714) 708-5555 or visit scr.org.

TOM TITUS reviews local theater.

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