The Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of A DOLLS HOUSE is a reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic – adapted by acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog and presented in partnership with Theatre Calgary. I just watched it Thursday night with my friend Rosa.
With happy children, a pristine house, and a husband secure in a lucrative job, beautiful Nora Helmer appears to have it all. But a secret is bubbling under the surface that threatens to alter her reality.
Herzog’s take brings a contemporary edge to Ibsen’s 1879 drama, sharpening its themes of autonomy, societal pressure, and personal awakening.
The set design is a minimal and whimsical pastel-toned dollhouse. The main character Nora (played by a feisty Alexandra Lainfiesta) evokes a Barbie-like figure trapped in a surreal domestic space. Her portrayal anchors the emotional weight of the production.
Ibsen’s original play was revolutionary for its time, challenging gender roles and societal expectations. This Arts Club production honours that legacy with its reinvention.
Directed by Anita Rochon, the staging doesn’t soften the play’s iconic ending with Nora’s dramatic exit which still lands with liberating and intense force, nearly 150 years after it first shocked audiences.
Here’s something interesting I just learned about: A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath, premiered in 2017 at the South Coast Repertory before transferring to Broadway. It imagines Nora returning years later, confronting the consequences of her departure. The tone, language, and pacing are starkly different from Ibsen’s original, but that rupture is the point – it forces us to reckon with how far (or not) society has come.
In my opinion, the flow suffers, but the thematic resonance of freedom, independence and societal roles is amplified and relevant.
When a reinvention doesn’t “flow,” it might not be a flaw – it could be a deliberate choice to provoke, unsettle, or reframe. I had to sit with it for a while. The audience had mixed reviews.
For tickets from $29 – https://artsclub.com/shows/2025-2026/a-dolls-house
September 4–October 5, 2025
Stanley BFL CANADA Stage
By Henrik Ibsen
A New Version by Amy Herzog
Presented in Partnership with Theatre Calgary
Cast
- Daniel Briere Torvald Helmer
- Max Cannon* Ivar Helmer
- Cecilia Carlson* Emmy Helmer
- Azriel Dalman* Ivar Helmer
- Elinor Holt Anne-Marie
- Alexandra Lainfiesta Nora Helmer
- Ron Pederson Nils Krogstad
- Nova Scout* Emmy Helmer
- Carmela Sison Kristine Linde
- Marcus Youssef Doctor Rank
*Two actors alternate in this role.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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