#lucashnath

(Gabriela Grier (Nora) and MIchael Champlin (Torvald); Photo credit: Joyce Goldschmid)

Led by an incredibly strong Gabriela Grier, Nora returns to the living room once housing portraits, furniture, and décor, which made this her home, only to find it is now just a barren room with flower wall paper, a couple of chairs, a table, and a coat rack. Ms. Grier, however, fills the room with a palpable intensity that comes in waves of determination, bargaining, plotting, loving, groveling, and veracity. Ms. Grier delivers her dialogue, complete with enough monologues to warrant some much-needed sips from her soda can, with a commanding eloquence that makes Mr. Hnath’s lines sing with rhythm and intensity. Ms. Grier’s chemistry opposite her ex, Torvald, is dished right back by a stellar Michael Champlin. Mr. Champlin delivers his Torvald with a recitative gravitas, knowing when to play the part of successful man trying to keep the household together, and a betrayed husband who just wants to do the right thing. All seemingly calm, respectful roads of compromise and negotiation bubble to the explosive argument between Nora and Torvald in the final scene, handled with volatile composure by Ms. Grier and Mr. Champlin. Mr. Lo’s staging has his two romantic adversaries in all parts of the room, sitting, standing, and bringing an approachable energy to Torvald and Nora’s journey, as they catch up to what their reality is.

(Judith MIller (Anne-Marie) and Gabriela Grier (Nora); Photo credit: Joyce Goldschmid)

Judith Miller is standout as household nanny, Anne-Marie. Her physicality of the aged nanny matches her vocal delivery of some of the plays most astute and comical lines. Her warmth and care for Nora and Torvald juxtaposes her tough love turns when she simply has to put the two in their place. Katherine Hamilton endows Emmy, Nora and Torvald’s daughter, with elegance but a captivating manipulation, directed and delivered in lockstep with Ms. Grier’s Nora. The mother-daughter scene is a stirring duet of cat-and-mouse, and culminates in a satisfying manner.

(Gabriela Grier (Nora) and Katherine Hamilton (Emmy); Photo credit: Joyce Goldschmid)

There are all sorts of touches and staging nuances Mr. Lo has throughout the one-act play, all of which elevate Mr. Hnath’s text from living room drama to high-concept theatre. This is not a knock to Mr. Hnath, as his text is one that requires, or allows, the direction to make strong choices based on how near-conversational Mr. Hnath’s syntax runs. Christopher Fitzer’s gorgeous scenic design allows Mr. Lo and cast tons of playing room and for staging choices and chair placement to have a reason rather than functional, they actually push the plot and enhance the tone of each conversation. Carolyn A. Guggemos’ lighting design has pushes of dims and brights to draw attention to key lines, takes, and retorts between the four characters, and does so in quite the effective, very noticeable manner. Melissa Sanchez’s costume design is spot-on period, and her particular palette choice for Nora is a proper standout against the primary scenic color.

(Mary Beth Fisher (Nora); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Mary Beth Fisher portrays Nora, the model to women taking charge of their marital bliss, with impressive delivery and astute patience. Mr. Hnath’s script ensures that audiences need not remember too much from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, allowing each cast member to give nuance and personality to his and her character without needing to embody Ibsen’s original. Ms. Fisher’s Nora is a spitfire matron, a woman on a mission to get what she so desperately needs: Torvald to finalize their divorce. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Nora, as she has gone on to become a renowned writer, inspiring many women to walk out of their marriages, and children, as well. Ms. Fisher’s domineering conversation opposite a genial-yet-snarky Nancy E. Carroll as house maid, Anne Marie, and soft spoken John Judd as Torvald, are well-paced, full of deep-seated anger and motivation, while always maintaining a level of approachable empathy towards the injustice Nora faces in being such a stigmatized woman.

(John Judd (Torvald) and Mary Beth Fisher (Nora); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Ms. Carroll has some wonderful moments of cursing and berating Nora for the decisions she is making, none more volatile than figuring out a way to force Torvald to finalize the divorce. Ms. Carroll’s motherly approach towards Nora and Torvald is warm and caring, but not at the expense of her devastating portrayal of a housemaid who’s further along in her years and is a somewhat trapped by her upbringing, career choice, and dedication to Torvald’s family. Mr. Judd plays the long game with Torvald, a constant simmer of sadness and rage apparent from the moment he first sees Nora, to an epic explosion of passionate frustration when he obliges Nora’s wish, but isn’t able to reconcile the marriage. The chemistry Mr. Judd and Ms. Fisher have created sparks all the elements a marriage would contain, being an authentic depiction of this theatrically seminal couple. Nikki Massoud rounds out the cast as Torvald and Nora’s youngest daughter, Emmy. Ms. Massoud enters with a seemingly naïve and bubbly outlook on the world, when in fact she travels down a very smart, forward-thinking plot to ensure that her own interest regarding her marital future is kept intact.

(Nikki Massoud (Emmy); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

A solid showing all-around, Mr. Waters’ helming is aided by Andrew Boyce’s near-bare but visually stunning scenic design. The action takes place in Torvald’s household, in the first room nearest to the door. With only a few chairs, a coat rack, and a table, these simple set pieces speak volumes when used within Mr. Waters’ staging. Yi Zhao’s lighting design is subdued and effective, especially when capturing the scene transitions and the actor(s) on stage reacting to what just happened and preparing for what’s to come. I urge you to run, not walk, over to Berkeley Repertory Theatre to satiate your curiosity as to what happened to this family fifteen years later. It is a living room drama you won’t want to miss.

Details:

A Doll's House, Part 2 runs through October 21st

Berkeley Repertory Theatre at the Roda Theater, Berkeley

(Gabriel Marin (Peter) and Max Carpenter (Ray); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

The audience meets Ray, an Olympic-caliber swimmer, just before the Olympic prelims. Ray only knows swimming and what it takes to become an even better swimmer. His brother, Peter, only knows law and how to protect his brother. Lydia only knows how to love Ray and hate Peter. And Ray’s Coach only knows how to train swimmers. All four characters share the common trait of doing whatever it takes to win at any cost. Max Carpenter delivers an exceptional performance as Ray. His nuanced and jock-cadenced speech portrays Ray in a way that makes him a pawn in Coach and Peter’s game, until he becomes a pawn with opinions. Mr. Carpenter portrays Ray as someone who isn’t necessarily dumb, but knows how to play dumb when it benefits him. Gabriel Marin delivers an equally excellent performance as Peter. Mr. Marin carries the majority of the monologue load, and delivers the longwinded lawyerly speeches with natural ease and humorous inflection when called for. His brotherly chemistry opposite Mr. Carpenter carries a sibling-based believability which culminates in the ending fight scene when both brothers have lost their tempers.

(Max Carpenter (Ray) and Rosie Hallett (Lydia); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Rosie Hallett is fantastic as Ray’s former sweetheart and provider of the performance enhancing drugs Ray took and continues to take. Miss Hallett exudes a presence that is both empowering for her and dedicated to Ray, never showing a sign of weakness but rather a determined commitment to bettering Lydia’s life. Last, but certainly not least, Michael J. Asberry is a perfectly cast Coach, giving audiences a powerful presence and well-delivered dialogue resulting in a commanding performance. Mr. Potter’s direction is a brilliant execution of Mr. Hnath’s script, with proper pacing to the intermission-less play and completely fluid transitions within Dipu Gupta’s outstanding scenic design of a swim club complete with functional water in the three lanes. As a former competitive swimmer myself, the dynamics and intensity of winning at all costs and obsessing over times and numbers is quite real in this production.

(Max Carpenter (Ray) and Michael J. Asberry (Coach); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Mr. Hnath writes his characters to all have very high stakes throughout the play, with a deep-seated intensity to win at all costs and to use whoever is needed to attain that goal. Mr. Potter’s direction and casting complements Mr. Hnath’s script with four more-than-capable actors to be these characters in a believable, nuanced, and very specific fashion. With everything working in its favor, Red Speedo is your choice for a do-not-miss production. Go see this show!

Details:

Red Speedo plays through February 24th

Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek