''A Doll's House, Part 2'' is a 2017 play written by

Lucas Hnath Lucas Hnath ( ) is an American playwright. He won the 2016 Obie Award for excellence in playwriting for his plays ''Red Speedo'' and ''The Christians''. He also won a Whiting Award. Biography Hnath grew up in Orlando, Florida. He moved to New Yo ...

. The play premiered at the

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...

, in April 2017, before transferring to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at the

John Golden Theatre The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was de ...

. The play "picks up after

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's 1879 play ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

'' concludes".

Productions

The play was commissioned by

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...

, where it was directed by Shelley Butler in April 2017. The play opened on

on April 27, 2017, after previews, which began on March 30, 2017, at the

. The Broadway production was directed by

Sam Gold Sam Gold is an American theater director and actor. He has directed both musicals and plays, on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for ''Fun Home''. Early life Gold was raised in Westchester an ...

and the cast featured

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' American Beauty'' (1999), ''October Sky'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), '' Cap ...

Jayne Houdyshell Jayne Houdyshell (born September 25, 1953) is an American, Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. Houdyshell made her Broadway debut in the 2005 production of ''It's a Wonderful Life''. The following year she earn ...

, and

Condola Rashād Condola Phylea Rashad (born December 11, 1986) is an American actress best known for her work in the theatre. She first broke out with a critically acclaimed performance in Lynn Nottage's off-Broadway play '' Ruined'' (2009), which won a Pulit ...

. This marked Hnath's Broadway debut. The Broadway production had been extended to January 7, 2018, past the original 16-week limited engagement closing in July. However, it was announced on September 6, 2017 that the production would close on September 24, 2017. Metcalf, Cooper, and Rashād exited the production on July 23. They were replaced by

Julie White Julie K. White (born June 4, 1961) is an American actress. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in ''The Little Dog Laughed'' in 2007. She has also received three other Tony Award nominations for her performanc ...

as Nora,

Stephen McKinley Henderson Stephen McKinley Henderson (born August 31, 1949) is an American actor and director. Henderson trained at Juilliard School for acting and later became a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1976 to 1981. He came to prominen ...

as Torvald, and

Erin Wilhelmi Erin Wilhelmi (born in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Alice in ''The Perks of Being a Wallflower'' and Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of ''To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a no ...

as Emmy. The

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre compa ...

is scheduled to present the Australian premiere, featuring

Marta Dusseldorp Marta Dusseldorp (born 1 February 1973) is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include ''BlackJack'', ''Crownies'' (and its spin-off '' Janet King''), ''Jack Irish'' and '' A Place to Call Home''. Early life an ...

, opening in August 2018. A production directed by James Macdonald and starring

Noma Dumezweni Noma Dumezweni (born 28 July 1969) is a British actress. In 2006, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for her performance as Ruth Younger in ''A Raisin in the Sun'' at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. In 2 ...

is scheduled to run 10 June 2022 - 6 August 2022 at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Micha ...

Overview

The play, set in 1894, concerns Nora, who had left her family and then returns after 15 years. The play examines the "rules of society and gender."

Characters

*Nora Helmer *Torvald Helmer *Emmy Helmer, the daughter of Nora and Torvald *Anne Marie, the Helmer family's nanny

Synopsis

The play begins with a knock on the door — the same door that was slammed shut, fifteen years earlier when Nora exited at the end of Ibsen’s play. Nora has returned, and it is she who is knocking. After leaving her husband, children, and the

nursemaid A nursemaid (or nursery maid) is a mostly historical term for a female domestic worker who cares for children within a large household. The term implies that she is an assistant to an older and more experienced employee, a role usually known as n ...

, Nora became a successful feminist novelist. The reason for her return is to finalize a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

from Torvald; she needs him to sign the legal papers. Nora is questioned about what she has been doing, and the family and the nursemaid express their recriminations of her.

Awards and nominations

Laurie Metcalf was nominated for the 2017

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

, Outstanding Actress in a Play, and Jayne Houdyshell was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. The play was nominated for the 2017

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

s: Outstanding New Broadway Play, Outstanding Actress in a Play (

) and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (

). The play received eight 2017

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominations: Best Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (

), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (

), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (

and

), Best Direction of a Play (

) and Best Costume Design of a Play (David Zinn). Metcalf won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.“Illinois native Laurie Metcalf wins Tony Award for best actress”.
''ABC Eyewitness News''. June 11, 2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doll's House, Part 2, A 2017 plays American plays Adaptations of works by Henrik Ibsen Fiction set in 1894 Plays set in the 19th century