Timing is often everything, and I must say that I could not have been better prepared to enjoy Saturday evening’s UMD Theater presentation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. I watched a film version a year ago, read the play itself afterwards, and saw a Hollywood version of the play this past spring (Steve McQueen’s last film).
To say these experiences were stimulating is an understatement. They prepared me perfectly for Tom Isbell’s updated version, which remains incisive and captures the story’s heart. It’s crisp, relevant and a lively adaptation that is fun while remaining exceedingly serious.
Henrik Ibsen, an massively influential playwright of the later19th century, explored major themes that challenged conventions. A Doll’s House addressed the role of women. Ghosts addressed incest and venereal disease. An Enemy of the People, completed in 1882, featured a man at odds with his community and the ethical…
