On Oslo’s Victoria Terrasse there’s a white door marked 108. Behind it was once an office in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but before that, late in the 19th century, these rooms were occupied by a figure who has done more for Norway’s reputation abroad than all of its foreign ministers put together.
This was the apartment of Henrik Ibsen, generally regarded as the second-greatest playwright ever, and the second most-performed dramatist in the world. In both these criteria he is bested only by Shakespeare.
Ibsen’s living quarters have now become a significant venue in his thriving theatrical afterlife. For a week in January, two of Norway’s leading classical actors – Kåre Conradi and Pia Tjelta – were rehearsing here with a cast of Norwegian and UK-based actors for a bilingual production of Ibsen’s 1888 play The Lady from the Sea, which premieres this week in London.
The Norwegian Ibsen Company & Print Room at the Coronet present The Lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen
In a new version by Mari Vatne Kjeldstadli Based on the translation by May-Brit Akerholt Directed by Marit Moum Aune
The Print Room at the Coronet are joining forces with the Norwegian Ibsen Company for a new production of Henrik Ibsen’s timeless story of self-determination. With creative teams from UK and Norway, this new staging brings with it a deep connection to the Norwegian culture in which Ibsen lived.
“Exhilarating… this is Ibsen with the gloves off”
The Guardian on the National Theatre of Norway’s Little Eyolf at the Print Room
Ellida, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter, was born where the fjord meets the ocean. Now trapped in a difficult marriage to a British doctor, Ellida longs for the open sea. Will the return of a former lover offer her a real choice?
A story of self-determination, modern families, loving other people’s children, and always looking for the perfect relationship, The Lady from the Sea was shocking in its challenge of societal norms when it premiered in 1889.
To mark the 130th anniversary of The Lady from the Sea, we’re thrilled to be collaborating with the Norwegian Ibsen Company for this new staging, which brings with it a deep connection to the Norwegian culture in which Ibsen lived: from its close relationship with nature, to the effect of the midnight sun on its inhabitants in the far north.
With performers and creatives from both UK and Norway, The Lady from the Sea follows the Print Room’s hugely successful 2018 collaboration with National Theatre of Norway and in co-operation with The Norwegian Ibsen Company, Little Eyolf, with many of the team returning for this shattering new production.
Both Norwegian and English will be spoken during the performance, with English surtitles for the Norwegian sections.
