In a loft traced on the glossy paper of stylish decor magazines, Helmer, newly promoted to the post of bank manager, and Nora, his virtuous and spendthrift companion, seem to be as happy as the couples in the ads that appeal to the new bourgeoisie (known as the Bourgeois Bohème, or Bobos, in France these day). But it is they who are in the front line of attack in this play which already when it was written in 1880 flushed out those who gave the appearance of being the privileged couples at the end of a century. A doll's house, certainly, but that of a Russian doll, from whom the play gradually removes the envelope of the devoted daughter, the perfect mother, the model wife. Nora, played by the caustic Anne Tismer, hides a terrible secret. One by one, the masks fall off. For among these people, it's not love that matters, it's how much money you have. The blows dealt by a liberal economy eat away even into people's private lives. The cost of male success curtails female emancipation. It's also a tale of a Barbie doll who says “no”. She says “no” to the social comedy that is newly-wedded bliss, “no” to the comedy of appearences. Nora blows the whistle that says playtime is over. She has finished her duties at home. Others are awaiting her – her duties to herself... Through one of the most beautiful portraits of women in theatrical history, but making changes to the final contour, Thomas Ostermeier, reveals the hidden face of our private lives when they obstinately imitate the contented smiles of advertisements.
Distribution
Stage direction Thomas Ostermeier
Cast Lars Eidinger, Jörg Hartmann, Peter Kühlborn, Agnes Lampkin, Jenny Schily, Kay Bartholomäus Schulze, Anne Tismer et les enfants Milena Bühring, Constantin Fischer, Sören Hinnenthal
German translation Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel
Scenographhy Jan Pappelbaum
Costumes Almut Eppinger
Music Lars Eidinger
Dramaturg Beate Heine, Maja Zade
Lighting Erich Schneider
Production
Production Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz (Berlin)
Droits de représentation Rowohlt Theater Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg
Avec le soutien de l'Onda pour les surtitres