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This 1883 play by Henrik Ibsen has been adapted/translated innumerable times, starting
with Eleanor Marx-Aveling (have you read her biography? Wonderful!) and continuing
with (amongst others,) Michael Mayer, Christopher D'James, David Horrower, Christopher Hampton and Arthur Miller. In 2008 Rebecca Lenkiewicz had another go, and it is
this production Ian Hoare chose to direct for the Tower. Enemy directly followed Ibsen's play Ghosts which had been received very badly, and that rejection
is thought to have influenced future work.
It is a problematic play, to say the least. Dr. Stockman discovers and starts to reveal
that the newly built spa baths, on which the town depends for its prosperity, are infected
with bacteria flowing down the river from the tanneries further north. Notwithstanding
that one of these tanneries is owned by his father-in-law, (excellently played by Ian Grant) he convinces the local newspaper editor (again, excellently played by Simon Lee) to print
his revelatory and condemnatory article - but is visited by the Mayor, who is unfortunately also his brother. (Oh, these incestuous small towns!) And bro is not best pleased.
James Keene as Dr. Stockman is all boisterous enthusiasm, prepared to face down the
world to preserve his scientific integrity. Matthew Vickers as the Mayor is all pompous
vanity, determined to ensure the continued flow of visitors with their lavish spending, thus making all section of the community (including himself) richer. So there we have it:
easy for the audience to decide who is the goody and who the baddy.
The Mayor easily persuades the newspaper staff (played by Jonathon Cooper and Sean McMullen) to lay off, warning that a massive municipal tax would be required if the baths were to be rebuilt. Jonathon's youthful loud enthusiasm "for the revolution!" is
convincing and enjoyable, but sometimes, I found Sean's facial expressions a little too emphatic, almost a caricature, in what was otherwise a good performance.
Thus Dr. Stockman's supporters dwindle away, leaving only his wife (played by the ever emotionally convincing Jill Ruane who looked and sounded perfect) and daughter (Ellie Ward -
a welcome newcomer to me.)
A fateful public meeting is held, the dice heavily loaded against the good doctor, and
pre-arranged in favour of the Mayor. Full marks to Richard Pedersen's drunk, who
hilariously invoked the play's rare moments of humour, and to the many "extras". The
meeting was held in the house of kindly sea captain Horster, played by Bill Boyd, who
so looked the part he really didn't need to act at all.
And this is the moment when the play turns upside down. Brave Dr. Stockman attacks
what he calls "the tyranny of the majority" and claims he is the only genius. Eugenics is at play here - fashionable in Ibsen's time, totally discredited since the Nazis -
that a few people are supermen and the rest like animals.
Critics welcomed Lenkiewicz's tighter, shorter version of the play. But I dislike the
brevity which made everything either/or. There is too little nuance. When proclaiming
that the individual can frequently be right and the majority wrong, Arthur Miller includes
two examples that silence the hostile crowd. To paraphrase, he asks whether Jesus was
right and the Romans and populace wrong? The answer is obvious. Or, when an
army scout is sent ahead and discovers the hidden enemy, ready to attack; he
returns to his company but the officer in charge says his orders are to advance - and thus be slaughtered - wasn't the individual right and the majority wrong? But Lenkiewicz
presents Dr. Stockman as a maniacal egoist, though other adaptations have been softer,
more conflicted, and - to my mind - more like real life.
Ibsen wrote this play quickly. Perhaps he was presenting himself as the one in the right,
whereas the public - in rejecting Ghosts - were wrong. In every version, it is a bleak ending : the family alone against the world.
But it is a great play, and well worth presenting in today's world of climate change deniers. A great deal depends on the two main protagonists, the brothers Stockman.
Both James Keane (Dr.) and Matthew Vickers (Mayor) gave convincing performances. James has a habit of facing down so that his eyes and forehead have to strain to look up which can
become distracting, but his energy conveyed well his enthusiasm. Matthew is blessed with one of the best speaking voices I know, and at times, I wished he had let rip rather
than be permanently repressed - though his scheming malevolence was impressive.
The set was ambitious. I don't understand why it was played in period though written as a "new" version, but all the costumes looked really good, so well done to wardrobe.
I am never happy when ASMs come on stage for a set change but then stand around
doing nothing because
one item must be moved first. Tempo and momentum dip. I'm all in favour of speeding matters up by the cast taking at least one item off with them,
as happens in most professional theatre. Intervening music was welcome and lighting
unobtrusive, as it should be. In many productions, a character faces the audience though
speaking to someone behind ... this looks unnatural, and only a slight change of blocking is needed.
The night I saw it, the theatre was packed, including a party of 22 or more students from the University of California. Speaking to them afterwards, they were full of praise, as
indeed I am, and thank Ian Hoare, AD Stephen Brasher, and cast and crew for a really interesting and enjoyable evening.
Photography by David Sprecher
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