It's time for my review of A Doll's House, Part 2.A Doll's House, Part 2 originally caught my attention when I heard of the great reception that Laurie Metcalf had received when performing in the role of Nora. I would have loved to see Laurie in the role that gained her a Tony Award, however she left the show several days before I arrived in New York. Despite the cast change, I still had an interest in seeing the show, as it sounded very unique. A Doll's House, Part 2 has one or two flaws, but I still found it to be very interesting and enjoyed watching it. Lucas Hnath, the writer of A Doll's House, Part 2, has been extremely daring by writing this play; he really has shown a high level of innovativeness. To take on writing a sequel of a play first written in 1879 is very brave, and I believe the writer should be applauded for being willing to do something so unique and rare. It's something that I doubt Broadway has seen in the past. In the final scene of Ibsen's 1879 ground-breaking masterwork, Nora Helmer makes the shocking decision to leave her husband and children, and begin a life on her own. This climactic event - when Nora slams the door on everything in her life - instantly propelled world drama into the modern age. In A Doll's House, Part 2, many years have passed since Nora's exit. Now, there's a knock on that same door. Nora has returned. But why? And what will it mean for those she left behind? It's an extremely interesting concept and it's really fun to see it being played out. A Doll's House, Part 2 has the audience on the edge of their seats from beginning to end wondering what on Earth will happen next. With the characters emotions flying high, the show is very unpredictable. Others may feel differently, but I personally had no clue as to what would happen in the end, which made it exciting. Julie White, as Nora, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, as Torvald, had only been performing in those roles for a week when I visited the show and they seemed to be fitting in quite well. The role of Nora is very demanding, so it will take a while for Julie White to become fully comfortable in the role, but I know for sure that she will get better and better as her run continues. Stephen McKinley Henderson very much suited the role of Torvald and he made the character relatable and likeable. For me, Jayne Houdyshell was the star of the show. I've heard a lot about her many Broadway performances and I was very impressed with her performance as Anne Marie. Her comic timing is impeccable! Erin Wilhelmi's performance of Emmy was by no means bad, but I really struggled to understand her character, and I wasn't sure if this was due to her performance or the writing. I hope she will warm to the role as time goes on. I was a big fan of the costume; all characters had excellently designed costumes. They suited the time period nicely. My one criticism for the show is that I had difficulty with some of the writing of the play. There were certain parts where I just couldn't understand the motives of the characters and their thought process. This mostly applies to the final part of the show, where I was left somewhat confused by Nora's final choice.
The featured star of In the final scene of A Doll's House, Part 2 is, drum roll please... JAYNE HOUDYSHELL!
I went back and forth on this decision, as Jayne gave the best performance, however she had a large advantage due to being with the show longer than her co-stars. In the end though, I had to give it to Jayne. This was a hilarious and very memorable performance. She has less stage time than the two leads, but she certainly made an extremely large impact on me.
Now for my final verdict on A Doll's House, Part 2. I give A Doll's House, Part 2...
There was a part of me which wanted to give A Doll's House, Part 2,4 stars, however with the new star rating system now in place, 3 stars seemed like the appropriate star rating. It is still a terrific show and the new cast will only become better and better!
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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