A Doll’s House, Part 2, a Broadway play written by Lucas Hnath sets in the John Golden Theatre. The initial presentation of the play for the audiences came from the set design. The square shaped stage allows us to view as if we are looking down into a doll house. However, this isn’t a typical doll house. The emptiness of the stage shows exactly how “empty” and plain the Helmer family is in the play. There are only four chairs, one table stand, and one flower pot; there’s no family portrait, pictures, or feelings of warmth. The Helmer’s home lacks that “family” feeling as a result. Those were just the very first impressions of the play. As the play begins, Nora Helmer comes back home after leaving her family for fifteen years. Although the first encounter between Nora and Anne Marie seems pleasant and nostalgic, the conversations thereafter between Nora and each of the characters were filled with heat, anger, and resentment. Each character told their story following Nora’s abandonment and how that affected their life after. Torvald was heartbroken and felt betrayed; Emmy grew up without maternal love, thinking that her mother passed away; Anne Marie had to choose between her own family and her loyalty towards caring for the Helmer family. This goes to show that one person’s action impacts others in many ways. In A Doll’s House, Part 2, the negative consequences destroyed the family dynamic, while at the same time, conveying a deep message about “family”. The overall sense that I walked out of the play with, was a sense of gratefulness towards my own family, knowing that they’re there.

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