That playwright Lila Raicek new work is “inspired” by Ibsen’s The Master Builderof 1892 is a bit of red herring. OK, there’s an architect involved and adultery (and even vertigo). But the play tries hard to be a think piece for now – putting women to the fore, adding glamour, celebrity and addressing the #MeToo movement. It isn’t boring, but it is spread out thinly. And it doesn’t convince.
As the anniversary of their son’s death approaches, the marriage between Henry and Elena Solness is about to end. The arrival of Henry’s former pupil and fling, Mathilde, is engineered by his wife to make the divorce as messy as possible. It’s dramatic enough, with plenty of speeches about how everyone feels. But notably less attention is paid to grief than the teacher/student affair.
So, from the start, it’s harder to care about the people than it could be. And, unlike Ibsen’s character, there’s nothing provincial about this crowd. Henry, Elena and Mathilde are all super successful. Their wealth is so generic I lost track of where the play was supposed to be set (it’s the Hamptons). As a starchitect, a publishing mogul and an accomplished writer, the trio are the kind of elite that might get on your nerves.
It’s fun to laugh at their privilege… a bit. But neither their status nor first-world problems are depicted that well. The few luxury symbols or nods to theories dropped in are too easy. And the dialogue is horribly clunky. Which might be deliberate – no one here is quite as clever as they think they are.
There’s clearly extra tension from how inappropriate Henry’s relationship with his student was. But is this really a debate? I guess the twist is how Elena wants to use the event and how Mathilde doesn’t want to cause trouble. It could be interesting – but note how the responses from both women are still really about the man.
Meanwhile, Mathilde and her college chum Kaia (who happens to be Elena’s PA and also attracted to an older man) turn out to be very whingey Millennials. It’s a damaging stereotype and it doesn’t help the play. Raicek sacrifices Kaia as a foil (although Mirren Mack makes a lot of the role) while Elizabeth Debicki works very hard at a mysterious air for Mathilde to provide some depth to the part. In the end, though, they end up just as “insufferable” as the older characters.
Director Michael Grandage’s staging isn’t as successful as usual. And while Richard Kent’s design looks great, it makes the action feel lost in one scene and then cramped in another. At least the central dynamic between husband and wife, played by Ewan McGregor and Kate Fleetwood, entertains. Both performances are skilled enough to intrigue. It’s left open as to how much genuine affection, let alone passion, exists between them. Is Henry just the old lech we imagine? Is Elena really the villain – Fleetwood does those roles so well – or is there more to her than her bitterness? There isn’t much else to enjoy here, but at least it’s nice to see big names living up to their reputation. In this instance, the show needs the stars.
Until 12 July 2025
Photo by Johan Persson
