This episode, we dive into two bold, politically charged productions - A Doll’s House at the Almeida Theatre and Between the River and the Sea at the Royal Court - each interrogating relationships under pressure. From the fractures within a marriage to the complexities of identity across borders, these shows ask what happens when the systems we rely on - love, family, nation - begin to crack.
A Doll’s House – Almeida Theatre
Henrik Ibsen’s groundbreaking domestic drama gets a sharp, contemporary reimagining in this new version by Anya Reiss, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins. When scandal threatens Nora and Torvald’s seemingly perfect marriage, the rules of their relationship are thrown into question - money, sex, and power all up for negotiation. Romola Garai returns to the Almeida as Nora, bringing intensity and nuance to a role that continues to challenge audiences over a century on. Provocative, unsettling, and darkly modern, this is a revival that leans into the mess of intimacy and control.
Between the River and the Sea – Royal Court Theatre
Written by Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlak, this internationally acclaimed piece arrives in London following its success at Berlin’s Maxim Gorki Theater. Part personal story, part political reflection, it follows Yousef - a Palestinian-Israeli man navigating identity, fatherhood, and a complex custody battle across borders. Moving between Haifa and Berlin, the play explores family, fear, and the possibility of imagining a future beyond division. Urgent, intimate, and deeply human storytelling at its core.
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