"What really awakens the senses here is the feeling of suffocation that pervades domestic battlefields, an impression of doom woven into the fabric of a social order…It is to the credit of this interpretation that you feel not only for the painfully enlightened wife but also for the bewildered husband in torment...These twinned productions of Strindberg and Ibsen maintain a similarly low hysteria quotient, without sacrificing the plays’ anxious and compelling momentum."
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“Lacey’s Nora has the makings of a modern woman. She employs every resource at her disposal to sustain a family life that happens to be a fantasy. Jesse J. Perez tends to mustache-twirl as Krogstad, but Linda Powell is nicely grounded as his former inamorata, fallen on hard times. Nigel Gore makes for a congenial Dr. Rank, one whose charm outstrips his morbidity. Thompson admirers will avidly await Torvald’s inevitable eruption, which does not disappoint—except, pivotally, Nora.”
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"The battle of the sexes comes served two ways in Theatre for a New Audience’s sturdy and ever-accessible double bill of classics...Maggie Lacey plays against her girl-next-door looks...In 'A Doll’s House,' she bolts from and slams the door on her marriage. John Douglas Thompson brings depth as her spouse in each show."
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“Like a 1950s sitcom wife, Lacey endows Nora with innately comedic qualities. She's flighty and cartoonish...It's not only funny, but provides for a thrilling transformation as Lacey's Nora awakens to the unjust realities governing her marriage. By contrast, Thompson's Torvald seems blissfully unaware of the negative effects of his paternalism. His epic meltdown in the final scene is one for the ages: We would leave him too.”
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"A taut, tension-filled psychological battle…Maggie Lacey does not disappoint, speeding around the living room of her apartment like a wind-up toy…In Lacey's hands, Nora is a far more complex woman than one remembers…Thompson's Torvald is a finely calibrated characterization, the evident age difference between him and Lacey working to good effect…The rest of Arbus' production--which makes use of Wilder's highly speakable 1937 translation--is equally acute."
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"These inspired revivals using the Thornton Wilder adaptation of 'A Doll’s House' and Scottish playwright David Greig’s new English language version of 'The Father' feature a company of actors led by the magnificent John Douglas Thompson and Maggie Lacey, all of whom appear in both plays. With the audience sitting on opposite sides of a narrow playing area with two walls removed that puts the viewers ring side, these productions are dazzling theater whether seen in tandem or seen separately."
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"Insightfully directed…A terrific repertory ensemble…It's fascinating to see Lacey's Nora turn from fluttery 'doll wife' to determinedly independent woman…Thompson's Torvald is equally unmissable…Jesse J. Perez is magnificently angry and distraught as Krogstad…While I've seen some wonderful versions of the Ibsen, I can't remember a more touching finale than this one."
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"The plays feel more accessible and tailored to a wider audience than ever, thanks to dual outstanding lead performances in both pieces by John Douglas Thompson and Maggie Lacey. Under the capable direction of Arin Arbus, Thompson and Lacey storm through both masterworks with an intensity and passion that elevate them far above all other elements of the productions."
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