Ralph Fennes as The Master Builder at the Old Vic
The Norwegian Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen’s another masterpiece “The Master Builder” stole away all the theatre-lovers, especially with its to-die-for cast. But did it reach the expectations?
Just like his other playwrights, The Masterbuilder is a captivating drama that brings realism and fictions with Ibsen’s criticism of the church. Telling the story of a builder who is reaching the end of his career and feels threatened by the younger generation that will eventually take his position. The main character is a husband tied down in a dry and failing marriage, which unfortunately was not the only dry aspect of the play.
"The main character is a husband tied down in a dry and failing marriage, which unfortunately was not the only dry aspect of the play."
Looking at the ticket prices you would think Ralph Fiennes is going to blow your mind away with his performance. Of course he is still one the most talented actors but not sure if David Hare’s version really highlighted his talent.
Hare’s adaptation was very effective in a way that engaged every member of the audience to focus on the words more than the movement going on at the stage, but perhaps that was just because there wasn’t a lot of movement going on. There were not enough gestures and movements to reflect the emotions of the characters, which in turn did not show the talent of the cast.
"Hare’s adaptation was very effective in a way that engaged every member of the audience"
Even though David Hare portrayed one of the key elements of “impotence” so simply, I expected the adaptation to be more exciting. Of course seeing such a great playwright by Ibsen and seeing it through great actors such as Ralph Fiennes was, and always is wonderful. However, I am not entirely sure whether the ticket prices were worth what we saw.
"I am not entirely sure whether the ticket prices were worth what we saw."
