REVIEW: The Lady from the Sea at the Donmar Warehouse

The Lady From the Sea was written by Henrik Ibsen 129 years ago. Validated by time and the fact that Ibsen is the second most performed playwright of all time after Shakespeare, it is no wonder that this play is still as fresh as paint. Elinor Cook’s version transposes the story from 19th century Norway to a Caribbean island, breathing some new and interesting undertones into the story. Coupled with the direction of newly appointed Young Vic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, this was clearly a hot ticket. 

The lights go up on a modern looking stage, brightly lit and being decorated by two sisters Hilde and Bolette in honour of their late mother’s birthday. Their stepmother Ellida, also the protagonist of the piece, makes an effort to chime in but with a taut performance from Nikki Amuka-Bird we can clearly see tensions afoot; setting up one of Ibsen’s classic themes of social expectations at odds with the individual’s true feelings. We are then introduced to Doctor Wangel (Finbar Lynch), father to the girls and Ellida’s husband; an old friend comes to visit and the story begins.