Henrik Ibsen, Part 2 - Commentary

… Henrik Ibsen, Part 2 - Commentary.

Ibsen is still the best known of all 19th-century playwrights, and he continues to be regarded as a literary giant. In America, though, he is a shrinking giant, one whose plays are being staged less and less often than used to be the case. A Doll’s House was last mounted on Broadway 21 years ago, and for all its historic significance, I have never seen it professionally produced anywhere in America. It is more than likely that most of the many people who have seen Hnath’s sequel were either largely or completely unfamiliar with the original play on which it is based.

It is the later plays, starting with Rosmersolm that deserve attention now, especially The Master Builder and When We Dead Awaken. Ibsen continued to grow as an artist.