The past is back to haunt the Alving family again, when The Pearl Theatre Company presents Henrik Ibsen's classic play "Ghosts" in New York.
2006 might have been the official Ibsen Year, but that does not mean that the work of one of the world's biggest playwrights will be left to rest in 2008. This March, The Pearl Theatre will be performing the classical, suspense filled "Ghosts".
The play was written in 1881 and first staged in 1882. At the time, its frank treatment of rather taboo topics -assisted suicide, incest, and sexual desire - both offended and shocked the audience. Today it remains one of Ibsen's most famous plays.
"Ghosts" is a story about Mrs. Alving's struggle to spare her son Osvald from the rotted legacy - that is, the "ghosts" left to him by his family's sordid past.
Mrs. Alving vacillates between the part of her bound to societal fundamentals and the part of her set free by the questioning of those same principals. Ibsen uses this duality to plumb the depths of misplaced sacrifice, smothered passion, and stifling conventions — staring unblinking into a diseased world.
With "Ghosts", The Pearl Theatre continues its 24th season of classics. The play is directed by Regge Life, and translated by Peter Watts. Limited engagement run from February 26 until March 30, with previews from February 26 through March 9. Opening Night is Sunday, March 9. The lineup includes performers like Tony nominated actress and Resident Acting Company member Joanne Camp, Resident Acting Company member TJ Edwards, Keiana Richàrd, and Broadway veterans John Behlmann and Tom Galantich.
Theatre enthusiasts should also make sure they visit The Pearl's Tuesday Talk Series. Here, the audience is given a chance to discuss each production with the actors, directors, and guest experts. On March 11, the theatre is visited by Joan Templeton, President of The Ibsen Society of America; on March 18 you can meet director Regge Life and actor and Ibsen enthusiast Earle Hyman; and finally March 25 is set aside for the cast of "Ghosts".
What: Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts"
Where: The Pearl Theatre Company
80 St. Marks Place (at 1st Avenue)
East Village
Information: (212) 598-9802