When I found out that Hudson Classical Theater Company would be performing an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea, I knew I'd want to see it.
I missed opening weekend since I was at the Shaw Symposium in Canada, which is perhaps ironic, since this adaptation by Hudson Classical's artistic director, Susane Lee, resets Ibsen's play in Canada, in a town along the Saint Lawrence.
Well, I finally caught up with the production last night, and I wasn't disappointed. Hudson Classical is best known for their outdoor productions of plays by William Shakespeare, including standout stagings of Richard II and Coriolanus. In addition to their recent Shakespearean triumphs, they did a much better job adapting Ibsen than some other productions I've seen recently, and Lee's script is faithful to the spirit of the original play.
Aya Ibaraki stars as Ellida, the second wife of the esteemed physician Dr. Wangel, played by Quint Spitzer. Ellida feels trapped between two worlds, longing for the freedom of the sea, as personified by a mysterious stranger (Drew Brock Baker), but also feeling gratitude and affection for her husband and the small town filled with summer tourists where she lives with him and his family.
Yes, it's definitely his family, not hers. Ellida's two stepdaughters don't exactly go all out to make her feel at home. The younger daughter Hilda, played by Katrina Dykstra, even plays a cruel joke on her, leaving Ellida to awkwardly accept flowers as if it's her birthday. The elder daughter Bolette, played by Maya Small, is more sympathetic, but still has trouble feeling much of anything for her stepmother.
The play relies on a mysterious sense of the supernatural, embodied by the stranger from Ellida's past who returns to collect on a promise made long ago. The production is skillfully directed by Nicholas Martin-Smith, so be sure to see it before it closes on August 17th.
