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| Pic: Catherine Ashmore |
When Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen debuted his latest work Ghosts in 1881, the reaction from critics and the public was, to say the least, inflammatory.
The play was described as a loathsome sore unbandaged, a dirty act done publicly, as offensively cynical and "gross, almost putrid indecorum".
What could the poor man possibly have written about to warrant such ire, you may ask. Well, the truth is he wrote about some home truths that certain sectors of 19th century society deemed unspeakable. But Ibsen dared to address these issues, some of which were a century before their time.
The play addresses issues such as adultery, sexual abuse, illegitimacy, forbidden love, unrequited love, venereal disease and even euthanasia, all things which were either ignored or swept under the carpet during Ibsen's time. But Ibsen wasn’t one for sweeping, he was much more into lifting the carpet and showing society what was really going on beneath its feet.
Regina tries to escape the gutter-gazing lifestyle of her lascivious father Jakob when she is taken under the wing of middle-class widow Helen Alving, whose "prodigal son" Osvald is staying with her after years away. But there are unspoken romantic undercurrents between Helen and the local pastor Manders (or perhaps these undercurrents flow just one way, as Manders's faith prevents him from even acknowledging the truth).
There is a lot going on beneath the surface in this play, glimpsed in stolen glances, furtive looks and what is left unsaid. This is where the nuances and subtleties of the five-strong cast's performances work best. Helen Alving has so much going on in her head, so many thoughts and feelings, but every single one is evident in Sian Howard's beautiful performance. Whether it is love or pain, you are never uncertain what her character is thinking or feeling, and Howard is the backbone and the heart of the piece.
The play was described as a loathsome sore unbandaged, a dirty act done publicly, as offensively cynical and "gross, almost putrid indecorum".
What could the poor man possibly have written about to warrant such ire, you may ask. Well, the truth is he wrote about some home truths that certain sectors of 19th century society deemed unspeakable. But Ibsen dared to address these issues, some of which were a century before their time.
The play addresses issues such as adultery, sexual abuse, illegitimacy, forbidden love, unrequited love, venereal disease and even euthanasia, all things which were either ignored or swept under the carpet during Ibsen's time. But Ibsen wasn’t one for sweeping, he was much more into lifting the carpet and showing society what was really going on beneath its feet.
Regina tries to escape the gutter-gazing lifestyle of her lascivious father Jakob when she is taken under the wing of middle-class widow Helen Alving, whose "prodigal son" Osvald is staying with her after years away. But there are unspoken romantic undercurrents between Helen and the local pastor Manders (or perhaps these undercurrents flow just one way, as Manders's faith prevents him from even acknowledging the truth).
There is a lot going on beneath the surface in this play, glimpsed in stolen glances, furtive looks and what is left unsaid. This is where the nuances and subtleties of the five-strong cast's performances work best. Helen Alving has so much going on in her head, so many thoughts and feelings, but every single one is evident in Sian Howard's beautiful performance. Whether it is love or pain, you are never uncertain what her character is thinking or feeling, and Howard is the backbone and the heart of the piece.
Simon Dutton usually plays imposing, stern Victorian types, or at least men with plenty of confidence and brio, but his Manders is a flighty, nervy man, and as the play progresses and certain developments take place, he unravels more and more. All he really cares about is making sure scandal does not get out, or at least if it does, he is not connected to it. But it's evident that this man of the cloth needs to look closer to home first before he starts preaching to those around him about their perceived failings before God.
It is difficult to describe the plot of Ghosts because it is less incident and more character. There's a fire, somebody takes ill, and there's plenty of rain, but above and beyond these touchstones moving the story forward, it is what happens to the characters which engages most.
The play gallops towards a very tense final ten minutes, with a climactic event out of the blue, and one which leaves you uncomfortable in your seat as you can do nothing but look on. And there's a final, heartbreaking, soul-tearing moment which will stay with you long after you've left the theatre, thanks to a stunning final flourish from Sian Howard's acting palette.
Ghosts is intense stuff. It's not fun, although it's funny in parts. But it does make you think about how some of the issues society faces in 2014 were still there 150 years ago, but simply ignored.
Perhaps what the 19th century really needed was its own Jeremy Kyle, but then maybe Henrik Ibsen was that man.
It is difficult to describe the plot of Ghosts because it is less incident and more character. There's a fire, somebody takes ill, and there's plenty of rain, but above and beyond these touchstones moving the story forward, it is what happens to the characters which engages most.
The play gallops towards a very tense final ten minutes, with a climactic event out of the blue, and one which leaves you uncomfortable in your seat as you can do nothing but look on. And there's a final, heartbreaking, soul-tearing moment which will stay with you long after you've left the theatre, thanks to a stunning final flourish from Sian Howard's acting palette.
Ghosts is intense stuff. It's not fun, although it's funny in parts. But it does make you think about how some of the issues society faces in 2014 were still there 150 years ago, but simply ignored.
Perhaps what the 19th century really needed was its own Jeremy Kyle, but then maybe Henrik Ibsen was that man.
The stats
Writer: Henrik Ibsen, in a version by Mike Poulton
Director: Emma Lucia
Cast: Sian Howard (Helen Alving); Owain Gwynn (Osvald Alving); Simon Dutton (Pastor Manders); Llion Williams (Jakob Engstrand); Michelle Luther (Regina Engstrand)
Performed at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, September 25 to October 18, 2014. Performance reviewed: September 30, 2014.
Links
Ghosts on Clwyd Theatr Cymru website (retrieved Jan 10, 2015)
Mike Poulton on Wikipedia (retrieved Jan 10, 2015)
Ghosts on SparkNotes (retrieved Jan 10, 2015)
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