''A Doll's House, Part 2'' is a 2017 play written by Lucas Hnath. The play premiered at the South Coast Repertory, in April 2017, before transferring to Broadway at the

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

. The play "picks up after

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's 1879 play ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...

'' concludes".

Productions

The play was commissioned by South Coast Repertory in

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

, where it was directed by Shelley Butler in April 2017. The play opened on Broadway on April 27, 2017, after previews, which began on March 30, 2017, at the

. The Broadway production was directed by Sam Gold and the cast featured

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her complex and versatile roles across the stage and screen, she has received various accolades throughout a career spanning more than four d ...

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. Having made his debut as a stage actor, he made his Breakthrough role, breakthrough on television as Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed Western television miniseries ''Loneso ...

Jayne Houdyshell Jayne Houdyshell (born September 25, 1953) is an American actress. Known for being a prolific character actor in theater, film, and television, Houdyshell has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, two Obie Awards, and a Drama Des ...

, and Condola Rashād. 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 as Nora, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Torvald, and

Erin Wilhelmi Erin Wilhelmi is an American actress. She is known for her role as Alice in ''The Perks of Being a Wallflower (film), The Perks of Being a Wallflower'', and as Mayella in Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. Filmography ...

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 com ...

is scheduled to present the Australian premiere, featuring Marta Dusseldorp, opening in August 2018. A production directed by James Macdonald and starring

Noma Dumezweni Noma Dumezweni (born 28 July 1969) is a South African-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 ...

premiered in the UK on 10 June 2022 - 6 August 2022 at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

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 ...

, 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 reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

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 Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, 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 news ...

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 a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

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 Condola Rashād), Best Direction of a Play ( Sam Gold) 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 Plays based on works by Henrik Ibsen Fiction set in 1894 Plays set in the 1890s Works based on A Doll's House