A Doll's House (NHB Classic Plays) E-Book

Henrik Ibsen

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 120

Beschreibung

'Nobody in this house knows what I'm capable of.' With a comfortable home, successful husband and two beautiful children, Nora Helmer is the envy of many. But her happy home is built on false foundations. As long-buried secrets begin to surface, Nora wonders if what she has is the same as what she wants. Chris Bush's taut and gripping adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic play is a powerful exploration of friendship, betrayal, dependency and liberation. It premiered at the Crucible, Sheffield Theatres, in 2024, directed by Elin Schofield.

Leseprobe

Henrik Ibsen

A DOLL’S HOUSE

an adaptation by

Chris Bush

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Original Production Details

Characters

A Doll’s House

About the Authors

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

This adaptation of A Doll’s House was first performed at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, on 21 September 2024, with the following cast:

DR RANK

Aaron Anthony

KROGSTAD

Eben Figueiredo

TORVALD

Tom Glenister

NORA

Siena Kelly

ANNA/PIANIST

Mel Lowe

CHRISTINA

Eleanor Sutton

Director

Elin Schofield

Designer

Chiara Stephenson

Movement Director

Ahmed Hamad

Lighting Designer

Richard Howell

Composer

Nicola T Chang

Sound Designer

Tingying Dong

Casting Director

Bryony Jarvis-Taylor

Assistant Director

Yanni Ng

Vocal Coach

Anna McSweeney

Fight Director

Kenan Ali

Cast

ANNA

NORA

TORVALD

CHRISTINA

KROGSTAD

DR RANK

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

ACT ONE

The home of Nora and Torvald Helmer. A living space. A baby grand piano dominates. ANNA, a nanny, is playing the piano. Something that starts simple but she gets increasingly lost in. A shout from offstage interrupts her reverie.

NORA (offstage). Anna! Anna!

ANNA stops playing and jumps up. NORA enters, struggling with several neatly wrapped parcels.

Didn’t you hear me shouting?

ANNA. Sorry.

NORA. Scrabbling at my own door.

ANNA. Let me take those.

NORA. There’s a tree downstairs.

ANNA. I’m sorry?

NORA. A Christmas tree – the man wouldn’t carry it any further than the lobby.

ANNA. Oh.

NORA (irritated she has to ask). So will you go and bring it in?

ANNA. Yes, ma’am.

NORA. But hide it away somewhere – the children aren’t to see it until tonight, not until it’s decorated.

ANNA. Of course.

NORA. What were you teaching them?

ANNA. I wasn’t – I was just playing for myself, sorry.

NORA. Oh.

ANNA. They’re in the nursery – I only left them for a minute. They’re excited to see you.

NORA. Yes, yes. I’ll go through to them, as soon as I’ve caught my breath.

NORA takes a paper bag from the top of her stack of parcels and pops a macaron from it into her mouth. Before she can swallow, there’s another shout from offstage.

TORVALD (offstage). Is that my songbird home?

NORA (through a mouthful of macaron). Yes, my love!

ANNA. I’ll fetch the tree in now.

NORA (offering the bag). Here, take these. (Changing her mind.) No, I’ll hide them. Go on.

ANNA goes. NORA stuffs the bag away somewhere about her person. TORVALD comes in from a different entrance.

TORVALD. There’s my squirrel.

NORA. Here I am.

TORVALD. And when did squirrel get home?

NORA. Just this second. (She kisses him.) Have you been working hard?

TORVALD. Trying to. I missed you.

NORA. I missed you too. Do you want to see what I bought?

TORVALD (taking in the parcels). All this?

NORA. A very industrious squirrel.

TORVALD. Squirrels save for winter – famously – they don’t fritter away all their husband’s money on… what even is all this?

NORA. We can afford it. (Off his look.) We can! Our first holidays together where we haven’t had to count every penny.

TORVALD. Yes, but –

NORA. Now Mr Squirrel has his big important new job –

TORVALD. Which I don’t start until the new year –

NORA. I know –

TORVALD. And won’t get paid until the end of the quarter.

NORA. So we can borrow until then.

TORVALD. It isn’t… Suppose we borrowed a thousand crowns today, you spent it all over the holidays, and then on New Year’s Eve I was struck by lightning –

NORA. Torvald –

TORVALD. Or a tile blew off the roof and decapitated me.

NORA. Stop it.

TORVALD. Or I threw myself into the ocean and I was never seen again. What then?

A sudden shift. NORA can’t laugh at this.

NORA (quietly). Don’t say that, please.

TORVALD. I only –

NORA. Don’t ever say that. Especially not on Christmas Eve.

TORVALD. I just mean if anything were to happen to me –

NORA. Then what difference would a thousand crowns make to anything?

TORVALD. Quite the difference!

NORA. Not to me.

TORVALD. No, but to the debt collectors –

NORA. Oh, let them hang. If anything were to happen to you –

TORVALD. I’m not… I’m fine.

NORA. Promise?

TORVALD. I promise.

NORA. Good. And we’ll pay someone to come and check all the roof tiles.

TORVALD (affectionately). You’re ridiculous.

NORA. Why?

TORVALD. I’m just trying to… One of us has to be the grown-up.

NORA. Yes, Mr Squirrel.

TORVALD. No borrowing, no lines of credit, no debts however small. As soon as you’re indebted to anyone your life is no longer your own. (Off her look.) Oh, what a sullen little squirrel she is now! Do you think I’m an ogre?

NORA. No.

TORVALD. You’re sure?

NORA. I’m only trying to make things as you like them. (Playfully laying it on.) Here I am, out in the snow, freezing my whiskers, all to please you, and –

TORVALD. I know. Here – this will cheer you up.

He takes out a wallet and hands her some notes.

NORA (immediately seeming to perk up). For me?

TORVALD. For Christmas – for the household – for… whatever you think I’ll enjoy.

NORA. Thank you. (Counting it.) Oh, I can make this last a good while.

TORVALD. Good.

NORA. Now, do you want to see the little suit I’ve got for Ivor? And a wooden sword as well – look how well it’s made! A doll and a cradle for Emmy. I need to find something for Anna too. Money, I suppose, is all staff ever want. A darling shawl for your sister. Books for your father, to make him feel clever –

TORVALD (picking up a parcel). And what’s in here?

NORA (snatching it back). A secret.

TORVALD. I see. And what have you picked out for yourself?

NORA. Oh, I don’t need anything.

TORVALD. Rubbish.

NORA. I’ll make do.

TORVALD. Don’t play the martyr, just tell me.

NORA. Fine. But don’t be cross with me.

TORVALD. Why – what is it?

NORA. Because if you’re really asking… (Quickly.) Maybe you could just give me money – nothing ridiculous, just whatever you felt was… And I know, I know you’ll say it isn’t very romantic, but then I could choose something for myself later –

TORVALD. Nora –

NORA. You could tie up the notes in gold ribbons and hang them off the tree – if you wanted to make a real gift of it.

TORVALD. That’s what you really want? What your heart truly desires?

NORA. I’m being very sensible, actually, if you think about it. Very grown-up. Instead of having you buy me something I don’t really need –

TORVALD. But what would you buy yourself? I know what’d happen – you’d burn through it all in a week and still end up with nothing to show for it.

NORA. No –

TORVALD. Yes! And then come to me again, cap in hand –

NORA. I would not.

TORVALD (teasing). You would! You always do! Money in your hands, it’s like… like handing Ivor an ice cream in the middle of summer. I turn my back for one second and it just melts away before your eyes.

NORA. That’s not fair. It’s not true. I’m just as careful as I can be.

TORVALD. As you can be, yes.

NORA. You don’t know what it costs to run this home. You don’t know what expenses we squirrels and songbirds have.

TORVALD. Yes, little bird. (Making a connection.) Oh! Oh yes, that’s it – you’re a magpie! You’re just drawn to shiny things – it’s a compulsion – out of your control.

NORA. No!

TORVALD. You get that from your father, you know – God rest his soul.

NORA. I wish I’d inherited more from him.

TORVALD. I wouldn’t have you anything other than what you are. Don’t pout.

NORA. I’m not pouting.

TORVALD. You are.

NORA. Don’t give me anything at all then – not a penny – as I first asked.

TORVALD. Nora – look at me – Nora –

She turns to him.

I wasn’t… (He spots something.) Oh, now hold on – what’s this?

NORA. What?

TORVALD. What do you have there? Could it be a little…? (He kisses her on the side of the mouth.) As I suspected.

NORA. What’re you doing?

TORVALD. Your kisses are even sweeter than normal, my love.

NORA. No –

TORVALD. No? Not a little powdered sugar then? Someone hasn’t been buying herself gifts after all?

NORA. Don’t pick on me.

TORVALD. What was it? (He kisses her again.) A little nougat? (Another kiss.) A little Turkish delight? No – I’ve got it – a bag of macarons!

NORA. Fine, you caught me.

TORVALD. Where are they? Hand over the contraband!

He begins to tickle her, patting her down, until he discovers the bag.

Aha! I knew it! So these are what my little squirrel stuffs her cheeks with to see her through the winter. Open wide.

NORA. Don’t!

TORVALD. Come on, baby bird.

NORA. Fine!

He feeds her a macaron.

TORVALD. And another.

NORA. No!

TORVALD. I want to see how many I can fit in there.

NORA (giggling a little). Torvald!

TORVALD. What an enormous mouth you have! I think we can do the whole bag.

TORVALD is pushing macaron after macaron into NORA’s mouth. It’s all giddy silly fun until it isn’t. NORA starts to choke a little but TORVALD is enjoying himself too much to notice.

NORA. Stop –

TORVALD. One more! One more!

NORA. I can’t breathe.

TORVALD. Come on, little squirrel –

NORA bashes his hand away. She coughs up a mouthful of confectionary. TORVALD is still chuckling heartily – a great game. NORA has to take a moment to collect herself.

Oh, what an effort! Hah! (Very casually, light-heartedly.) What did I tell you? Gone – just like that! You ought to know by now you can’t keep any secrets from me – even if it is the season for it.

NORA. Oh – you should see the tree I found. The children are going to love it.

TORVALD. And I have a rather excellent bottle of wine for tonight.

NORA. Have you invited Doctor Rank to join us?

TORVALD. No.

NORA. Why not?

TORVALD. I don’t think I’ve ever once invited Doctor Rank to dinner. And yet miraculously still he arrives, night after night.

NORA. You love him.

TORVALD. I do. I don’t think I could eat without him, at this point. (He laughs.) I feel… giddy, almost – like how Christmases used to feel when I was little. Except it’s the opposite, a real adult Christmas with my beautiful wife and my beautiful children in my beautiful home, knowing – for the first time knowing I have means, that my position in this world is secure. The God-awful time we had last year –

NORA. It wasn’t so –

TORVALD. It was miserable! Cheap cuts and half-worn hand-me-downs. You shut away for the whole of December making paper chains from old newspapers and tinsel out of rags. God, the shame of it!

NORA. I didn’t find it shameful.

TORVALD. And what did you have to show for all your efforts?

NORA. They would’ve looked beautiful – if Emmy hadn’t got out of her cot and torn them all to pieces.

TORVALD (indulgently). I know they would – and I know how you tried – hour after hour, squinting in the candlelight like some old crone –

NORA. Don’t make fun of me.

TORVALD. I’m not! All I mean is those days are behind us.

NORA. They are, aren’t they? They really are. I have so many plans for us, now we’re comfortable – such wonderful plans.

TORVALD. I’m sure you do.

NORA. I’ll tell you all about them, as soon as the holidays are over.

A doorbell chimes.

TORVALD. Are you expecting anyone?

NORA. No.

TORVALD. I’m not receiving visitors, remember? I’m meant to be working.

NORA. I know.

ANNA returns.

ANNA (to NORA). There’s a lady here to see you, ma’am.

NORA. Who is it?

ANNA. She didn’t say. (To TORVALD.) And Doctor Rank has just arrived too, sir. I’ve put him in your study.

TORVALD. Marvellous. I suppose I’m finished for the afternoon.

TORVALD goes.

NORA (to ANNA). You can send her through.

ANNA goes and returns a moment later with CHRISTINA.

ANNA. This way, ma’am.

CHRISTINA. Thank you.

ANNA nods and goes. A brief pause.

(Timidly.) Hello, Nora.

NORA (blankly). Hello.

CHRISTINA. I thought you might not recognise me.

NORA. No, I’m sorry, I… (It clicks.) Christina?

CHRISTINA. That’s right.

NORA. No!

CHRISTINA. How are you?

NORA (full of warmth). Christina, here? You’re here!

CHRISTINA. I’m sorry I didn’t write in advance. I know it’s been a –

Before she can get any further, NORA flings herself at CHRISTINA, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her in for a tight embrace. Her whole demeanour seems to shift from how we’ve seen her with Torvald. Her posture more relaxed, her vowels gradually become less rounded.

NORA. What are you doing here? How long has it been?

CHRISTINA. Um. Nine, almost ten years.

NORA. No! No, not ten, that’s… I left in… Nine! I don’t believe it. I didn’t recognise you.

CHRISTINA. I look a lot older.

NORA. No – well, nine years older maybe. Not even that. Thinner. Paler, I think. Are you cold? Where have you come from? How did you get up here?

CHRISTINA. The train.

NORA. The train, in the middle of winter!

CHRISTINA. How else?

NORA. Well make yourself at home. Do you want tea? Brandy? Have you eaten? Anna can build the fire up. Whatever are you…? (She suddenly stops herself.) Oh.

CHRISTINA. What is it?

NORA. Your husband…

CHRISTINA. Yes.

NORA. Someone told me that he passed.

CHRISTINA. He did. Almost a year ago now.

NORA. I’m so sorry. (She pulls her into another embrace.) I would’ve written. I didn’t have an address for you. I should’ve tried harder to find one.

CHRISTINA. That’s alright.

NORA. No it isn’t. Forgive me.

CHRISTINA. Nothing to forgive.

NORA. Did he leave you children?

CHRISTINA. He didn’t leave me anything. (Beat.) You have two of your own?

NORA. That’s right. Where are you living now? How long are you here for?

CHRISTINA. Please – just tell me happy things. Two children. What else? (Glancing around.) Well, all this I suppose.

NORA. We haven’t been here long.

CHRISTINA. No?

NORA. Only since the autumn. Torvald was just saying – that’s my husband, Torvald – I’ll introduce you later – he was saying this is our first Christmas where… He’s just got this new position, you see – it’s changed everything. He’s going to be a bank manager. My husband, the bank manager – hah! Dozens of people working for him. That sounds like bragging. But if you knew what we’d both been through –

CHRISTINA. Congratulations.

NORA. You know he trained to be a lawyer at first. Far too honourable for that – far too rigid in his codes – but a born bank manager, through and through. Steadfast. Upstanding. And the salary – plus commission – and the bonuses! It’s a different world. Imagine – imagine never having to worry about money ever again.

CHRISTINA. I’m not sure I can. (Beat.) You know, you haven’t changed a bit.

NORA (