Director Sam Gold Strips Down Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of the People,’ Digging for Relevance for Today’s Audiences

One wonders what Kendall Roy, the ambitious but hapless son of privilege played by Jeremy Strong in the brilliant satirical series “Succession,” would have made of Dr. Thomas Stockmann, the naïve but noble figure Mr. Strong is taking on in a new Broadway staging of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People.”Set in a provincial town in the late 19th century, “Enemy” traces a pattern of corruption and social inequality that may seem small-scale in a time when multinational conglomerates like the fictional empire run by the Roys exert outsize political influence. Yet the director of this revival, Sam Gold, noted for his starkly confrontational productions of both classics and modern works, is clearly intent on mining its relevance for contemporary audiences.To that end, Mr. Gold recruited his equally accomplished wife, the playwright Amy Herzog, to translate Ibsen’s text anew. Ms. Herzog made her Broadway debut last year with Ibsen’s most famous work, “A Doll’s House,” providing the script for a stripped-down staging by the director Jamie Lloyd, who like Mr. Gold has wielded minimalism with a sometimes heavy hand.In this “Enemy,” Mr. Gold’s particular mix of spartanism and bombast is evident from the opening tableau, in which one actor wanders in to begin lighting the candles and lamps prominent in the scenic design (by the collective dots) while another, an older man, sings a traditional Norwegian folk tune, as he and others in the cast will proceed to do between scenes.Michael Imperioli in ‘An Enemy of the People.’ Emilio MadridOrdinarily, we would meet Thomas’s wife at this point, but Ms. Herzog has made the protagonist a widower, so that it’s their daughter, Petra, who greets a string of visitors. Key among them is the play’s leading villain, Peter Stockmann — Thomas’s brother, who is also his boss, at least in the doctor’s role as medical director of the new baths that are expected to provide a boon to the local economy.The problem, it will soon be disclosed, is that Thomas has discovered the baths are thoroughly contaminated, teeming with bacteria that make them unsafe for use. The good doctor wants to alert the community immediately, of course, and enlists support from the seemingly idealistic young editor of the local newspaper. But Peter, after appealing to the editor’s more pragmatic instincts, and those of other influential folk, manages to turn the town against his sibling.When Ibsen wrote “Enemy,” the phenomena of mob psychology and how it can be employed against truth tellers was very much on his mind: His previous play, “Ghosts,” had been harshly criticized for tackling taboo subjects such as venereal disease and religious hypocrisy. Mr. Gold, for his part, clearly seeks to draw parallels to modern-day populism: A scene in which Thomas tries to appeal to the people of his town but is nearly thwarted by Peter and others is presented with the house lights fully on and Mr. Strong’s Tom addressing the audience, with some of its members onstage.At a recent preview, the scene — which, notably, follows an intermission in which music by the Norwegian pop group a-ha is played, and the spirit Linie Aquavit is offered to anyone seeking refreshment — was interrupted, uncannily, by environmental activists shouting about pollution in our day. (“Broadway will not survive on a dead planet,” one yelled.) With the fourth wall down, the disruption seemed at first like a directorial contrivance, or a promotional stunt; a representative for the production confirmed it was neither, and the protesters have not, as of this posting, returned.Victoria Pedretti in ‘An Enemy of the People.’ Emilio MadridThe performers were unruffled, responding as their characters would have: Mr. Strong noted that the protesters were right, while Michael Imperioli, who plays Peter, chided them and joined other actors in (gently) pushing them off. David Patrick Kelly, the veteran trouper cast as Thomas’s antagonistic father-in-law, had my favorite response: “You gotta write your own play,” he told the intruders.Mr. Imperioli, best known for his work on the series “The Sopranos” and, more recently, “The White Lotus,” struck me as a bit out of place at first, exuding a raw stridency that didn’t seem to fit in, but his take on the role becomes witty and charismatic. Mr. Strong anchors the production beautifully, lending conviction to Ms. Herzog’s purposefully prosaic dialogue and conveying the social awkwardness and spiritual fortitude of a character who invests more faith and trust in others than they deserve.Yet the standout performances are delivered by other actors, from a wonderfully obstreperous Mr. Kelly to Thomas Jay Ryan, crisp and chilling as the self-interested chairman of the property owners’ association, to a marvelous Victoria Pedretti, whose devoted, fearless Petra emerges as a central character, and every bit as heroic (and often more clear-thinking) than her father.All the players, in fact, serve a version of “Enemy of the People” that, however obvious in some of its efforts to entertain and enlighten, achieves both goals with little apparent strain.

Director Sam Gold Strips Down Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of the People,’ Digging for Relevance for Today’s Audiences

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