The Lady from the Sea
by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Erin Shields
Moya O'Connell and Ric Reid, Set and Costume by Camillia Koo, Lighting by Kevin Lamotte, Photo by David Cooper
Kyle Blair and Jacqueline Thair, Set and Costume by Camillia Koo, Lighting by Kevin Lamotte, Photo by David Cooper
“I can’t help if I ache for the sea.”
Ellida, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who loves the sea, swims in the fjord every day to suppress her ever-growing claustrophobia and restlessness. Still haunted by a promise made long ago to a lost love, she plays the dutiful wife and stepmother to widower Dr. Wangel and his daughters. On a late summer’s day, an English ship comes down the fjord – the man from her past has come back to claim her. Erin Shields’ new version of Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea revitalizes Ibsen’s rarely produced romance with a contemporary sensibility. Shields’ adaptation captures the emotional intensity of the Ibsen classic, which raises questions of love, freedom, sacrifice and fulfillment.
Drama - 90 minutes / Cast - 3w, 5m
Production History
Directed by Meg Roe, this new version of The Lady from the Sea was commissioned by The Shaw Festival under Artistic Director, Jackie Maxwell.
Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake) - April - September 2015
Reviews
“Shields is a gifted writer and her lightness of touch and comedic skills are welcome here, as they would be in any Ibsen play.”
— Toronto Star
“The Lady from the Sea is capable of spine-tingling moments when the sailor appears – and there's no lack of contemporary resonance to the conversations between Ellida and Dr Wangel about marriage and freedom.”
— Globe and Mail