It now seems almost certain that the country will have a new Prime Minister before the year is out, and if enough of the electorate were able to see An Enemy of the People at the Duke of York’s theatre, it may well be Matt Smith moving into Downing Street rather than Sir Keir.
Adapted by Florian Borchmeyer and Thomas Ostermeier, and directed by the latter, one of Henrik Ibsen’s most renowned works is brought straight into the 21st century. References to the pandemic, the Horizon scandal and Rishi’s Recession, all contribute to the contemporary retelling of this masterpiece.
But this is still Ibsen at its core, the first act following the original pretty faithfully. The opening scene dinner party is also a band rehearsal, allowing the cast to show off some vocal talents. Dr. Thomas Stockmann is the medical professional at a town’s lucrative spa baths, until he discovers the water is contaminated.
His brother, who is also the Mayor, is aghast that the town might lose all its revenue, and while the press are initially on Thomas’s side, they soon capitulate when they realise how much is at stake. Thomas also faces pressure from his father in law (Nigel Lindsay) who’s factory is responsible for the contamination.
In the second act, the production takes an unexpected approach when Thomas addresses the town hall. Matt Smith, who has already turned in a striking performance, delivers an impassioned and vociferous attack on the government – any pretence that this play is a metaphor for anything is quickly lost. It’s then that Aslaksen (Priyanga Burford) becomes an Ibsen inspired Fiona Bruce, taking audience interventions, while remaining an agent of government.
This is a thrilling interlude to the onstage drama, and a mark of how talented the cast are to improvise what must be different scenarios every night. In the original version, the towns people turn against Stockmann, but in this version, as it’s us who are the towns folk, we come out in support of Thomas and his radical calls for change. This makes the final scenes more difficult navigate as we haven’t seen the same self-righteous lone wolf that Ibsen envisaged.
An Enemy of the People has always really been about the government, the press, and their combined efforts to manipulate people under the disguise of democracy. Ibsen’s work seems more relevant as ever, as Dr. Stockmann’s desire to protect public health over the economy strikes startling parallels to recent events.
Ibsen was never quite sure if he had written a comedy or a drama, and Ostermeier’s production does a nice job of integrating the two, with an endearing comedic performance from Zachary Hart as Billing. On the whole Smith leads a stellar cast with Paul Hilton nailing the role of the gaslighting mayor.
Jessica Brown Findlay as Katharina is engaging, though the character is somewhat side lined here, a brief moment with Hovstad (Shubham Saraf) looks like it will bring in another thread of the story, but we’re left to wonder what, if anything, it meant.
Jan Pappelbaum’s chalkboard set feels satisfyingly messy, reminding us that this may be a caricature of politics, but one that is terrifyingly accurate, perhaps even more so since the play was written.
Ostermeier’s production smashes the fourth wall and gives us some revolutionary theatre. An Enemy of the People loses some of Ibsen’s original intent, but gains a visceral audience reaction.
