''A Doll's Life'' was a 1982

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

with music by Larry Grossman, and a book and lyrics by

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned ...

and

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Ar ...

. A sequel to the 1879

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 pla ...

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 be ...

'', it told the story of what happened to the lead character, Nora, after she left her husband and her old life behind to face the world on her own; in doing so, it examined several aspects of feminism and the ways in which women are treated. ''A Doll's Life'' opened on Broadway at the

Mark Hellinger Theatre The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway theat ...

on September 23, 1982, in a production directed by

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

and starring

Betsy Joslyn Betsy Joslyn (born April 19, 1954 in Staten Island, New York) is a Broadway musical and dramatic actress and soprano. Joslyn is best known for her Broadway work, including the original 1979 production of ''Sweeney Todd''. She appeared in the ens ...

George Hearn George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre. Early years Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before he embarked on ...

and

Peter Gallagher Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series '' The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recu ...

. It closed three days later, after a run of 18 previews and 5 performances.

Plot

Set within the framework of a contemporary rehearsal of

's classic play ''

'', it addresses the question of what might have transpired after Nora slammed the door and abandoned her

tyrannical A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to r ...

husband Torvald. Borrowing the fare from a young violinist, Otto, she takes the train to Christiania, where she accepts work in a cafe and soon becomes involved not only with Otto, but Eric Didrickson, the wealthy owner of shipping lines and fish canneries, and Johan Blecker, a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

, as well. Throughout the show, scenes in her new life mingle with intermittent flashbacks to the one she left behind.

Musical numbers

;Act I * "Prologue" - Nora, Company * "A Woman Alone" - Nora, Otto, Conductor, Company * "Letter to the Children" - Nora * "New Year's Eve" - Eric, Johan, Dr. Berg, Gustafson * "Stay With Me, Nora" - Otto, Nora * "Arrival" - Astrid, Company * "Loki and Baldur" - Otto, Singers * "You Interest Me" - Johan * "Departure" - Astrid, Company * "Letter From Klemnacht" - Astrid * "Learn to Be Lonely" - Nora * "Rats and Mice and Fish" - Women * "Jailer, Jailer/Letter to the Children (reprise)" - Nora, Women * "Excerpts From ''Loki and Baldur''" - Company * "Rare Wines" - Eric, Nora ;Act II * "No More Mornings" - Nora * "There She Is" - Johan, Eric, Otto * "Power" - Nora * "Letter to the Children (reprise)" - Nora * "At Last" - Johan * "The Grand Cafe" - Company * "Finale" - Company

Productions

The

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 ...

production opened on September 23, 1982, at the

. Directed by

, the show featured scenic design by Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth, costume design by

Florence Klotz Florence Klotz (October 28, 1920 – November 1, 2006) was an American costume designer on Broadway and on film. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, she graduated from Parsons School of Design, and went to work painting fabrics for Brooks C ...

, lighting design by

Ken Billington Ken Billington (born October 29, 1946) is an American lighting designer. He began his career in New York City working as an assistant to Tharon Musser. He was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Kenneth Arthur (an automobile dealer) and ...

. and choreography by Larry Fuller. The cast featured

and

. A staged concert of the musical was presented by the

York Theatre Company York Theatre is an off-Broadway theatre company based in East Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In its 50th year, York Theatre is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each seas ...

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

from December 13, 1994 to January 22, 1995.Canby, Vincent
" ''A Doll's Life'', New Look at Hypothetical Future of Ibsen's Nora"
''The New York Times'', December 22, 1994

Critical response

Frank Rich of the ''New York Times'' wrote that "three legendary Broadway hands - Harold Prince, Betty Comden and Adolph Green - have inflated a spectacularly unpromising premise with loads of money, good intentions and hard work, only to end up with a show that collapses in its prologue and then skids into a toboggan slide from which there is no return." He wrote of Prince's direction that "remarkably, there isn't a single idea in the staging that he hasn't done before - and better"; he criticized the character of Nora as being "merely a symbol: The Unliberated Female", and wrote that the show's heavily flawed dramaturgy "can't muster what should be a foolproof case" for its supposed revelations about feminism that "at this late date ..are facts of life In a later piece for the ''Times'', Rich wrote that the show was "merely pretentious," and that "to write a show in 1982 that espouses a primer-like feminist credo - as if feminism had only entered the public mind yesterday - seems, in its own way, a form of escapism (and not even an entertaining form at that)." According to John Kenrick, the musical had "an almost operatic score, but the book droned on about the unfairness of life and an overly-elaborate Hal Prince production only made matters worse."Kenrick, Joh
"'A Doll's Life' - Bay Cities
musicals101.com, accessed February 11, 2010 Despite its failure, the show received several

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 c ...

nominations, and an original cast recording was released on the Bay Cities label. Broadway wags dubbed the show "A Doll's Death." One even suggested "A Door's Life," in reference to the portal out of which Nora slams at the end of the original Ibsen play, and which 'danced' almost continually throughout the musical, far more interestingly than most of the rest of the action.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

*
''A Doll's Life'' at The Guide to Musical Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolls Life, A 1982 musicals Broadway musicals Adaptations of works by Henrik Ibsen Musicals based on plays Musicals by Betty Comden and Adolph Green