The Donmar Warehouse is the most incredible theatre. Four rows of stalls on three sides of the stage, and another four in the circle. So it is extremely intimate, and so close to the actors, especially if , like me, you are in the very front row. I had my toes pressed against the edge of the less than one metre high stage, so when Gillian Anderson was sitting on a packing case in front of me, it was in touching distance. Extraordinary.
The play was excellent. Apparently a new version of Ibsen's original, it changed Torvald Helmer, a banker, into Thomas Vaughn, an MP. And Zinnie Harris' interpretation worked very well. The cast was starry and brilliant. As well as Gillian Anderson in the main role of Thomas' wife Nora, there was Tara Fitzgerald, Anton Lesser and Toby Stephens. But for me, the revelation was Christopher Eccleston. I never really took to him as Doctor Who, although he was good in Heroes. But on the stage, he is an almighty presence. The role suited him perfectly as he raged as the dastardly Neil Kelman.
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