The Master Builder at The Almeida Theatre

This was one of Ibsen's plays that I had not seen. And with Gemma Arterton in the starring role as Hilde Wangel, that was enough to persuade me to make the journey down the A1 and the tortuous section down through Archway and the Holloway Road where the traffic was horrendous. But I parked easily enough, and only five minutes walk from the theatre.

I don't think that this is one of Ibsen's best plays and the translation into modern English was maybe a bit too modern (and it's "I slept like a log", not "I slept like a stone"). The acting was first class and I particularly liked Emma Hamilton as Kaja Fosli. But it was Gemma Arterton who lit up the stage. I thought that Stephen Dillane in the title role was a bit too one dimensional, even when he shouts his personality still keeps it's measured tone.

The director, Travis Preston, does well with the script, but ultimately there are only occasions when the action buzzes or we are challenged with some dramatic language. But in the middle of the sixth row of the 319 seat Almeida, you would not want to be anywhere else.