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The Master Builder
Letitia Lange, James Naughton & Kristin Griffith in The Master Builder

The Master Builder

by Henrik Ibsen
adapted by Frank McGuinness
directed by Ciarán O’Reilly

October 10 – November 30, 2008

The Master Builder is one of the world’s great plays brought vibrantly to life by Ireland’s leading playwright. Frank McGuinness (Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me) adapts this searing drama about the tortured soul of a successful architect whose life is disrupted by the arrival of a young girl who claims he seduced her years before. The title role of this world premiere adaptation is played by two-time Tony winner James Naughton and is joined by a dazzling cast to bring you an exhilarating and unforgettable evening of theatre.

“Hilde Wangel (Charlotte Parry), becomes a dramatic enactment of the forces animating, inspiring or destroying the artist in the drawn-out struggle to reconcile the prerogatives of aesthetics and of life. Ms. Parry radiates Hilde’s feverish desire to fulfill a great destiny.  Herb Foster acquits himself impeccably”. — New York Times

“A lucid Frank McGuinness adaptation, Parry splendidly evokes Hilde’s contradictory spunky-child, sensible-woman nature, and Kristin Griffith quietly captures the chilly demeanor of Solness’s wife.” — Time Out

Show More Reviews

“James Naughton is a vigorous Solness whose wary eyes betray the insecurity and guilt beneath his outward show of control.” —Backstage

“The more a man wants, the less he gets.  That sobering maxim is at the heart of The Master Builder, Henrik Ibsen’s fresh as the day it was written play, in a translation by the celebrated Irish playwright Frank McGuinness…. In the role of the proud and misguided master builder, Naughton finds all of the resentment and terror lurking beneath the cool impressive surface of his character. His Solness is vain, dissembling and even jaw-droppingly cruel when cornered, making him far from heroic.  In the role of his stricken, haunted wife Aline, Griffith is well cast.  She brings real warmth and feeling to a difficult role as the master builder’s wronged wife.  Alternating between high Victorian reserve and all too brief flashes of the brilliant and loving young woman she once was, Griffith gives a hypnotic performance that’s flawlessly acted. Playwright McGuinness and the Irish Repertory Theatre have tackled this difficult but absorbing play with a rare degree of clarity.” — Irish Voice

“Irish Rep has given us an intriguing new take on a play that has stirred up scholars and audiences alike for more than a century.  The supporting actors provide real humanity…all portray the effects of Halvard’s soullessness to great effect.” — nytheatre.com

“The Master Builder stands the test of time. The Irish Repertory Theatre does the Master Playwright proud in this production!” — Electronic Link Journey

“The production, directed by Ciaran O’Reilly from a plain-spoken translation by Frank McGuinness, is a handsome one…. Kristin Griffith, as his dutiful, dead-eyed wife, and Letitia Lange, as an infatuated employee, are successful at forging colorful portraits. Parry shines as the enigmatic Hilde, who chides and praises her master builder and has no qualms about speaking of sweet dreams and soiled underwear in the same breath.” — Daily News

“Thanks to Eugene Lee, the set design…has furniture so solid looking and period appropriate for 1892 that it makes it easy for the audience to be transported to the time and place of Ibsen’s ruminations about the frustrated dreams of an ambitious architect.  Director Ciarán O’Reilly also sets the right tone.  Naughton…projects a solemnity and impatience, as well as the required fear of a new generation coming along to challenge and displace him.  His Solness is a man who has achieved renown, but who will not achieve the greatness to which he aspires, and his stage command and interpretation makes his performance riveting… The Master Builder is not performed all that often, and this production is made accessible by McGuinness’s uncomplicated adaptation and the clarity with which it is being performed. Whether you are unfamiliar with the play or know it well, the Irish Rep offers you a chance to see it in good hands.” — New York Calling

“Parry’s performance is as uninhibited as Hilde herself, and a perfect foil for Solness’s doubts and despair.  Tony-winning actor, James Naughton, gives a masterful performance as the complex Master Builder. Frank McGuinness’s adaptation of The Master Builder fully anticipates the angst that the playwright must have felt at the end of his career. Ibsen was, indeed, the Master Playwright, and his last play, expertly directed by Ciaran O’Reilly, is his crowning achievement.” — Mehlman and Manus On Theatre

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Special Events

Opening Night: October 23, 2008

Cast

Knut Brovik: Herb Foster
Ragnar Brovik: Daniel Talbott
Kaja: Letitia Lange
Halvard Solness: James Naughton
Aline Solness: Kristin Griffith
Dr. Herde:l Doug Stender
Hilde: Charlotte Parry
Townsperson: Janice M. Brandine

Creative

Set Design: Eugene Lee
Costume Design: Linda Fisher
Lighting Design: Michael Gottlieb
Sound Design: Zachary Williamson
Hair and Wig Design:
Robert-Charles Vallance
Properties: Rich Murray
Assistant Director: Helena Gleissner
Stage Manager: Pamela Brusoski
ASM: Janice M. Brandine

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New York, NY 10011

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Box Office: 212.727.2737
Office: 212.255.0270

 

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