Ghosts

Ghosts is Ibsen's haunting study of the lingering poison in a marriage based on a lie. Osvald Alving has returned from Paris to his mother's home, carrying with him a dreadful secret. His mother's delight at having him home soon turns to horror and grief. The corruption that she had hoped to spare him from when sending him away from the influence of his depraved father has in fact infected his whole body in the form of syphillis. In Mrs Alving and her son's distrust of conventional religion and mores and Oswald's anguish with life, Ibsen created a thoroughly modern and provocative work. It created widespread outrage and shock when first produced in 1881. It is presented by the Gate Theatre, London, in a new version by Amelia Bullmore, directed by the Anna Mackmin, in January and February 2007.

'When Ibsen's 1881 drama was first staged, the play didn't just tread on one taboo, it bravely waded through a messy bog of them.' Maxie Szalwinska, Sunday Times, 2.8.09 'The play becomes not just a window into how they lived in Norway more than a century ago, but also on the way we live in Britain today.' Patrick Marmion, Daily Mail, 6.11.09

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) was a Norwegian playwright and poet whose realistic, symbolic and often controversial plays revolutionised European theatre. He is widely regarded as the father of modern drama. His acclaimed plays include A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, An Enemy of the People and The Pillars of the Community. His centenary is celebrated in 2006. Amelia Bullmore's first play Mammals was produced at the Bush Theatre in 2005 and subsequently toured nationally in 2006.