Chicago's Court Theatre to Present Mabou Mines' Experimental Dollhouse

By Robert Simonson
August 25, 2005

Chicago's Court Theatre will present the Windy City premiere of Dollhouse, the New York-based avant garde troupe Mabou Mines' take on Henrik Ibsen's most famous drama.

The show, adapted and directed by Lee Breuer, will run Nov. 30-Dec. 18. The production premiered to positive notices at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2003. In Breuer's conceit, Nora and her female friend Kristine are the only full-sized characters in the story. The men that surround them not only dwell below them morally and spiritually, but physically, as they are played by little people.

In New York, Nora was played by Maud Mitchell. Mark Povinelli played Torvald Helmer, Kristopher Medina was Nils Krogstadt, Honora Ferguson was Kristine Linde, Ricardo Gil played Dr. Rank and Margaret Lancaster was Helene. Peter Dinklage, of "The Station Agent" fame, was attached to early workshops of the production.

Eve Beglarian’s piano concerti, inspired by Edvard Greig, accompany each scene, while Martha Clarke provides choreography.

The show later toured, reaching Paris, Strasbourg, Minneapolis and Ohio.