Ibsen's 'Ghosts' at Trafalar Studios - a must see for every woman.

Ghosts was written by Henrik Ibsen when he was living in Rome between the spring and autumn of 1881. As it was in custom at the time play was first published in writing and almost straight away condemned for tackling subjects of: patriarchy, women's rights, class, sexual desire, religious bigotry and hypocrisy, incest, sexual transmitted disease (syphilis) and euthanasia, this led to play being banned in many European countries including England.

The main character of Ghosts is Helene Alving (Lesley Manville) a strong, inteligent woman who as a young girl was made to marry a drunk and debaucherous man, upon realising who her husband is she runs away to the man she loves-pastor Manders (Adam Kotz) but is rejected, so she goes back and devotes her life to keeping appearances of a happy marriage. To protect her son Oswald (Jack Lowden) from destructive influence of his immoral father Helene sends him away at the age of 7.
The play starts at a point when Helene is a widow and her son (now and adult and a well known painter) comes home unexpectedly just before the opening of a orphanage she is building to commemorate her late husband.

Richard Eyre's adaptation is absolutely amazing, according to his own words this version of Ghosts waited six years to make to the stage, he said  " I worked from a literal version by Charlotte Barslund and I tried to animate the language in a way that felt as true as possible to what I understood from them to be the authors intentions... But even literal translations make choices and choices we make are made according to taste, to the times we live and how we see the world." well to me the choices he made are definitely the right ones because the play truly moved me.

But the great adaptation is not enough you also have to have actors who can carry the weight of the really difficult subject stated in this play with truthfulness and force, fortunately the cast is absolutely fantastic. Lesley Manville gives a masterful performance, you completely believe her she gives Helena strength and passion combined with tenderness, her Helena is a woman who tries to break free and take charge over her life despite the constricting influences of church and society. Adam Kotz pastor Manders is a great contrast to Helena: cowardly, bigoted hypocrite with no trace of his own thinking. Charlene MacKenna's Regina is vivid an fierce, a girl who is not afraid to speak up and make her own decisions. Jack Lowden's Oswald is both passionate and fragile , innocent victim of his parents choices, condemned to lunacy and death.

Tim Hatley has done a superb job designing the set, two rooms and a glimpse of a garden are divided by translucent glass panels (that allow the audience to see what characters cannot) and Peter's Mumford light effects work magic on them.

Ibsen's Ghosts at Ttrafalgar Studios are a must see so grab your chance because this play finishes its run in a month time!

Why did I titled this review - A must see for every woman? Because this play was written 9 years after a term "Feminism" was used for the first time in France and Ibsen is a great advocate of women. In Ghosts we have a story of an intelligent woman forced into marriage, imprisoned by patriarchy and church, who cannot reveal that her marriage was a tragedy, is encourage by a pastor to live a lie, who slowly realises her own power (books she is reading) but  the past - titular Ghosts cannot be changed and her family pays the ultimate price for giving into the conventions. This is not only history it is also present, in many families and many places women can't chose, are beaten, abused, murdered  ' to save honour' have no right to vote or make any independent decision.
( It really annoys me that we live in a society where calling yourself a B**** is Ok but saying you are a feminist straight away labels you as man hating, unattractive hag. To be a Feminist is not to be against men but to demand that women have the same rights and opportunities as men, and are not discriminated against because of their sex in any aspect of life.)