Amelia Pedlow Photo by Dan Norman

The Guthrie's production features scenic design by Luciana Stecconi, costume design by Trevor Bowen, and lighting design by Robert Wierzel. Artistic Director Joseph Haj notes that this new version of Ibsen's classic drama, "continues the Guthrie's tradition of presenting classic works that resonate with audiences today."

The design elements in this production reflect the time and place in which the original play was written (1879, Norway), especially Bowen's exquisite costume designs. The most noticeable contemporary influence is the colloquial dialogue of the adaptation; it's sometimes a little jarring to hear these formal looking period characters say, "yeah," and "okay." The streamlining of this piece leaves the characters of Kristine Lind, played by Catherine Eaton, and Nils Krogstad, played by Ricardo Chavira, with comparatively little stage time. The children of Nora (Amelia Pedlow) and Torvald Helmer (David Andrew Macdonald) do not appear at all, but are voiced offstage by Brock Heuring and Eve Scharback.

The bright pink color of the program appears to have nothing to do with the color concept of this production, as Stecconi's scenic design and Bowen's costumes are primarily stark and gray. The feeling of winter is pervasive in the design, with snow surrounding the thrust stage. Herzog has said that her slimming of the script in this adaptation was an attempt to reinforce the intimacy of this domestic drama, but the giant thrust stage feels expansive and bare with minimal set dressing. This is in line with the 2023 Broadway production, in which the design was even barer than the setting here. The design choice seems at odds with Nora's character, who we are told is always spending money. Her living room looks very frugal.

Under the direction of Brigden, the acting is universally excellent. As Krogstad, probably the least developed character and the one that leans the most toward melodrama, Chavira humanizes his struggle. Andrew Macdonald's Torvald is benignly controlling, believably flipping to rage and derision in a moment and then flipping right back into the indulgent parent to his own wife. As Dr. Peter Rank, Andrew May's physicality tells an emotional story which conveys all the nuances of his relationship with Torvald and Nora. At the heart of the piece is Nora, a tour de force for Pedlow who finds the humor in her character, the love for her invisible children, and ultimately her self-discovery of the need to self-actualize away from the men who keep her as their doll.

The universal themes in Ibsen's A Doll's House are all here, delivered at a sometimes breakneck speed, and they continue to resonate today. I highly recommend this production.

A Doll's House runs through October 12, 2025, at the Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-377-2224 or visit guthrietheater.org.