Productions
The play was commissioned by South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California, where it was directed by Shelley Butler in April 2016. The play opened on Broadway on April 27, 2017, after previews, which began on March 30, 2017, at the John Golden Theatre. The Broadway production is directed by Sam Gold and the cast features Laurie Metcalf, Chris Cooper, Jayne Houdyshell, and Condola Rashād. This marks Hnath’s Broadway debut.
The Broadway production had been extended to January 7, 2018, past the original 16-week limited engagement closing in July. However, it was announced on September 6, 2017 that the production would close on September 24, 2017.
Metcalf, Cooper, and Rashād exited the production on July 23. They were replaced by Julie White as Nora, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Torvald, and Erin Wilhelmi as Emmy.
The Melbourne Theatre Company is scheduled to present the Australian premiere, featuring Marta Dusseldorp, opening in August 2018.
What does a woman owe her family? What does she owe herself?
Fifteen years have passed since Nora slammed the door on her life as a wife and mother. Now she’s back, with an urgent request—one that leads to long-overdue reckonings. What does a woman owe her family? What does she owe herself? With biting wit, award-winning playwright Lucas Hnath (The Christians) examines marriage and motherhood, love and law—asking questions that are as resonant today as they were when Nora first appeared in Henrik Ibsen’s groundbreaking masterpiece more than a century ago.