This is not a comedy. The only laughs are from those of a nervous disposition. This is a dark, dark play. Ibsen described Ghosts as "a family story as sad and grey as a (Norwegian) rainy day". I guess they must have a lot of those there. The director is Stephen Unwin in his swan song after six years as artistic director of Rose Theatre, Kingston in a co-production with English Touring Theatre that Stephen founded in 1993. Stephen is a huge Ibsen fan having directed six productions, five for ETT. His translation has a really modern feel. Ireland in the not too distant pass comes to mind. This play caused a huge scandal when it was first performed, and it was banned in many places, particularly in Ibsen's home country.
It is Mrs Alving (a stand out bravura performance by the terrific Kelly Hunter) who confronts her ghosts. The portrait of her long dead husband is almost a ghost in itself. When Pastor Manders (Patrick Drury) reminds her of how he persuaded her to return to her husband after running away, she cannot remain silent about the unhappiness she suffered. But in the Pastor's words (of consolation?) "To pursue happiness in this world is to be governed by the spirit of rebellion. What right do we have to happiness? No we must do our duty, Mrs Alving. And your duty was the cleave to the man you'd chosen and to whom you were tied by a sacred bond". The revelations that Mrs Alving then reveals are the crux of this powerful and, at all times, gripping play. The cast of five are all excellent and the first half (actually three quarters of the time) goes so quickly. But the sunshine after rain is a contrast to the over melodramatic ending. These days, playwrites would have had it finish five minutes earlier.
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