Climbing the Heights - Bill Bray looks at a great dramatist of the 19th century.
Henrik Ibsen always had an eye for a pretty woman, especially a pretty young woman. At 18, apprenticed as an apothecary, he fathered a son by a maid. He began writing poetry at University and after graduation he worked in theatre in Norway as literary adviser. Always popular with the ladies, he married Suzannah Thoresan in 1858 when he was 40. Suzanne wasn't a great beauty but the attraction was for a lively-minded woman of fairly radical thought in religion and politics for that time. They had one son born in 1859. The marriage seemed happy enough at first although as both grew older Ibsen was attracted to the company of younger women. He received an annual grant in 1866 from the Norwegian Parliament and the family lived abroad in Rome, Sorrento and Dresden while he was writing. In 1875 they moved to Munich for his son's education. In 1880 Suzanne returned to Norway while his son was completing law studies in Rome where Ibsen spent some time. Henrik and Suzannah recognised that their marriage was, in effect, over.
It is often difficult to realise the impact and effect a writer or artist of the past had on his first audience. The plays of Ibsen have been absorbed into the theatrical repertory with their influence and form taken up and copied in hundreds of subsequent plays.
Ibsen was in the forefront of the movement known as Naturalism which was fairly soon challenged by the more abstract Symbolism. Ibsen, the old dramatic anarchist that he was, bucked the trend by using symbolism in his plays but not as images of simple explanation, rather as a psychological undercurrent and influence to enrich drama and character. " I only write about people," he said. By the time of The Master Builder (1892), Ibsen had developed his style so that the symbols are part of the text in the way that a poet might use them. It should be remembered that Ibsen had rejected the use of verse after his early poetic plays, Brand and Peer Gynt among them, which were not intended for fully realised theatrical performance.
He turned to prose drama with Pillars of Society in 1878 although his use of language (originally Norwegian, of course) had the precision of a poet. Each character had a particular relevant speech pattern not easy to reproduce in translation. The Master Builder arrived nearly 15 years later when Ibsen had worked on his dialogue to give it the superficial reality of conversation. One of his startling innovations was the rejection of long speeches in favour of the use of short sentences, often interrogatory, giving the rapid feel of real people talking together.
It is sometimes said that The Master Builder is particularly autobiographical. Ibsen often referred to himself as 'an architect' in drama and he told students some time later that Solness was 'a man somewhat akin to me'. Ibsen took particular pains to reject the idea that Hilde Wangel was a portrait of Hildur Anderson, a young lady who became his constant companion and correspondent in the early 1890s.
For copyright protection the play had to be performed and this was done as a reading in Norwegian at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in December 1892 but the first proper performance was in Berlin in January 1893. The first London performance in English was in February 1893 at what is now the Duke of York's Theatre.
We are fortunate to have included in our season a play by this master of European theatre. Take advantage.
Director Ross Holland writes:
Halvard Solness is the most successful builder around. His hard-faced attitude hides a terrible secret and an un-payable debt, and he fears that one day he will be usurped by the young.
His fears are based on experience. He has risen to the top slot by the simple expedient of breaking the opposition, but the means by which he achieved this haunt him. The destruction of the family home by fire years ago gave him the space to start building, and his keen business sense meant a meteoric rise. But was it a price too high? Has he sacrificed his own chance of a home, and did he expect too much from his wife?
Then into his life comes the attractive and high-spirited Hilde, demanding the "Kingdom for a Princess" he promised her ten years earlier. Could this be the answer, to welcome youth in with open arms, and take them to his side, to exorcise his demons? Or has the enemy come knocking at the door?
Allegedly based around a real event in Ibsen's life, The Master Builder is a tale of passion, despair and denial that, platitudinous as it might be, it really is as relevant today as when it was written. However, as it is about people, not places or times, it has humour even in the darkest times. Rehearsals have been a fascinating journey discovering the complexity of each character and the relationships between them.
This is the first time the GWT has put on this play, although of course not the first time we have performed Ibsen - "A Doll's House" (twice), "Enemy of the People" (twice), "Ghosts", "Hedda Gabler" (twice), "John Gabriel Borkman", "The Lady from the Sea", "Rosmerholm" and "The Wild Duck", yet never "The Master Builder". But don't think that it is any less of a play, because you will miss one of his greatest works.
We have obtained the services of a first class cast. Fulfilling the part of Solness is Maurice Tripp, with Lesley Robins as his tortured wife, who's inner grief is misunderstood by all around her. The vital and exciting role of Hilde is taken on by Lindsay Fraser. Len Wooding is the ailing Knut Brovik, with Paul Redfern (last seen in "Tiny Dynamite") as his son Ragnar. Hayley Smith makes her GWT debut as Kaja, and Brian Kemp plays Dr. Herdal.
Book now - don't miss this masterpiece
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