Following the Norwegian National Theatre’s Little Eyolf in April this year, The Print Room at the Coronet and the Norwegian Ibsen Company will present Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea, marking the 130th Anniversary of the first ever productions of the play simultaneously in both Oslo and Weimar on 12 February 1889.
Acclaimed Norwegian Director Marit Moum Aune and Kåre Conradi, Artistic Director of the Norwegian Ibsen Company, lead a joint English/Norwegian production, with members of both cast and creative teams from both countries.
Ellida, a lighthouse-keeper’s daughter, was born where the fjord meets the ocean. Trapped in a difficult marriage to a doctor in a small provincial town, she longs for the open sea. But the return of a former lover after a long absence means that for the first time in her life she has real choice. So should she choose a seductive freedom, or commit to the familiar life she feels has stifled
her? In this new version the doctor and his family are English, bringing a new dimension to the relationships within the play.
The production brings with it a deep understanding of Norwegian culture and the world Ibsen wrote about – from the relationship with nature, the silence surrounding personal grief, to the effect of the midnight sun on the emotional mind-set of inhabitants of the far North of the country.
Director Marit Moum Aune said ‘Lady from the Sea was at the forefront of contemporary work in its day, shocking in its challenge of society’s norms. It is still as revelatory and exciting today in its exploration of the realities of the freedom to choose. It is a story about modern families, losing a child, divorce, second marriages, having to love other people’s children, about always looking for the perfect relationship. This durability is what makes a piece of work a classic.’
The theatre also welcomes the return of the award-winning stars of Little Eyolf. Pia Tjelta will play Ellida, and Kåre Conradi will play Arnholm, the role played by one of his family 130 years ago
in the first production of The Lady from the Sea in Oslo. They will be joined by Edward Ashley, Adrian Rawlins, Øystein Røger, Molly Windsor. Biographies below.
The production is designed by Erlend Birkeland, with lighting design by Simon Bennison, and music composed by Nils Petter Molvær.
Performed in English and Norwegian, with English surtitles, The Lady from the Sea will be at Print Room at The Coronet 8th February to 9th March 2019.
