University of Virginia Library

Miss Bloom's Nora

Miss Bloom is exceptionally good
as Nora, the child-wife of Torvald
Heimer, and she makes the first two
loquacious, dramatically tranquil
acts more palatable than they
would be given a less talented star.
The fireworks are all in the third
act, and they are worth the long
wait. Miss Bloom and her co-star,
Donald Madden, make Nora and
Torvald's first and final
confrontation a scene of rare
poignance and surprising
credibility. There is no doubt of
Nora's maturation and ability to
survive on her own when walks
out the door; there is merely a
wistful sense of the loneliness that
suddenly confronts both her and
her husband.

The play has been smoothly
staged by Patrick Garland, and the
production emerges as a first-rate
handling of the often difficult
Ibsen. And even if all the play's
excitement is in one scene at the
end, that's one exciting scene more
that most of this season's plays
have had.