In 2006, the centennial year of Ibsen’s death A Doll’s House was the most produced play worldwide.   I guess why it is so often revived is that because, in portraying a woman kept as a doll by her controlling husband, it has relevance to today.  Anya Reiss’s adaptation uses the Ibsen play as a basis but really needs to be considered as a separate play from the 1879 original. Romola Garai stars as Nora Helmer wife of Torvald Helmer (Tom Mothersdale), who owns a recently successful financial investment company. 

The Almeida production directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins opens with a surfeit of consumerism.  For the first time in their marriage Nora feels no financial pressure to economise and hand make their Christmas presents and cards.  This is due to Torvald having sold the company for a lot of money, the sale of which will be finalised in January.  She has gone to town on his American Express credit card and bought 50 carrier bags full  of toys from Hamleys, food from Waitrose, presents from Liberty and an eight foot high Christmas tree.

Before we meet anyone else, Kristine Linde (Thalissa Teixeira) calls, on her uppers to ask Nora for a job.  Everybody’s information is updated by looking at Instagram and although they haven’t been in touch for ten years since university, Kristine knows where Nora now lives from her Instagram posts and recognises Nora’s new house. Kristine is widowed having married for financial support, not love.  She has an ailing mother and a brother with special needs. Nora repeatedly remarks on how much weight Kristine has lost not realising that this has probably been caused by hunger.