A Doll's House, Part 2 (TCG Edition)

Lucas Hnath

• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781559368971
• Topic: Literatur
• Subtopic: Amerikanische Dramaturgie

Originally premiered at South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa, CA) in the spring 2017. The play opened on Broadway in the spring of 2017 at the John Golden Theatre.

Marks Hnath's Broadway debut.

The Broadway production is directed by Sam Gold and the cast features Laurie Metcalf, Chris Cooper, Jayne Houdyshell, and Condola Rashad.

Selected as a New York Times Critics' Pick

The play received eight 2017 Tony Award nominations

New York Times Top Ten play list

Hnath has been honored with a 2015 Whiting Award, a 2016 Kesselring Prize for his play The Christians, 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2012 Whitfield Cook Award for his play Isaac's Eye, Two 2013 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award Citations for his play Death Tax.

Nora

The room is empty.

And silent.

Silent and empty for a while.

Until …

There’s a knock at the door.

Then silence.

No one comes to answer it.

Another knock-knock.

Nothing.

And another knock at the door.

From offstage we hear a voice call out—

ANNE MARIE

Hold on! I’m coming!

(And then silence, until …

An older woman, Anne Marie, enters the room slowly—she’s got a little hobble.

She makes it to the door.

Unlocks it.

Opens it.

In the doorway: Nora.

Long pause.

Then …)

Oh Nora!

NORA

Hello Anne Marie.

ANNE MARIE

Nora I can’t believe it’s you!

NORA

… It’s good to see you.

ANNE MARIE

It’s really you. Nora Nora Nora—

It’s been so long

NORA

it has.

ANNE MARIE

… You got a little fatter.

You got older and you got a little—

NORA

well you hit a certain age—

ANNE MARIE

Don’t I know it.

Come in come here give me a hug it’s so good to see you.

How are you. Come in there’s some chairs you can take a

chair and sit in it

NORA

don’t worry about me, I’m fine

ANNE MARIE

I’m going to sit I’m going to sit my knees aren’t good

However I look on the outside—

inside it’s all a lot worse. And how are your insides—?

NORA

They’re good, Anne Marie.

ANNE MARIE

That’s good.

Mine, I don’t know, it’s the stomach that

feels like it’s gone all wrong,

but you look good and if your insides are all in order

then I’ll take your word for it—

I just—I just can’t believe it’s really you

NORA

well

ANNE MARIE

I didn’t know—no idea—if you’d ever come back around.

That first month, and those first six months—the first year or two or three even—there was the thought that maybe you’d show up, come back around, but then the more time that passed—you didn’t even write, no letters, nothing—

Fifteen years, fifteen years, could’ve thought you’d gone off and died—

I for the record never thought you were dead—

a lot of people thought you were dead,

other people, not Torvald and the kids of course, but a lot of people think you’re dead.

NORA

… okay

ANNE MARIE

and I look at your clothes and it looks like you’re definitely not destitute

NORA

nope, not at all

ANNE MARIE

it looks like the opposite of destitute

NORA

I’ve done very well.

ANNE MARIE

That’s just so nice. I’m happy to hear that, I never wanted bad things to happen to you …

(Nora takes in her surroundings, moving her eyes around a room she hasn’t seen in fifteen years.)

NORA

The house is—

ANNE MARIE

yes—?

NORA

it’s so …

ANNE MARIE

different?

NORA

from what I remembered

ANNE MARIE

same house

NORA

less stuff

ANNE MARIE

you forget things

NORA

there was a cuckoo clock used to be...