A searing exploration of family secrets and forbidden desire
There are ghosts everywhere. There are ghosts here right now.
For the first time ever in the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, experience the work of Henrik Ibsen, one of the most influential dramatists of all time, with his scandalous Ghosts.
Nearly 150 years after causing a furore when it premiered with its depiction of incest, infection and euthanasia, Director Joe Hill-Gibbins (The Marriage of Figaro, ENO; The Tragedy of King Richard The Second, Almeida), in his Globe debut, brings a new version of the first modern tragedy to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Plagued by the ugly truth of her late husband’s legacy, Helene vows to erase the past and start again.
Ignorant to the reality of his father’s character, Osvald, her son, returns home to face an uncertain future. But when the ember of an illicit romance stands to ruin Helene’s plans to play happy family, she is forced to make a decision that threatens to engulf what’s left of her – and her son’s – life completely.
Hattie Morahan returns to the Globe for the first time since 2015 to play the seminal role of Helene. As the Globe expands to welcome the Western Canon, we see how Ibsen – similar to Shakespeare – continues to speak to today’s audiences.
Cast: Greg Hicks, Paul Hilton, Hattie Morahan, Sarah Slimani and Stuart Thompson
Creative team: Adaptor & Director – Joe Hill-Gibbins Associate Director – Lucy Wray Costume and Set Designer – Rosanna Vize Costume Supervisor – Megan Rarity Globe Associate – Movement – Glynn Macdonald Head of Voice – Tess Dignan Intimacy Director – Haruka Kuroda.
Ghosts is part of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse 10th Anniversary Season.
GHOSTS: 10 November - 28 January
Further Information: Ghosts | Sam Wanamaker Playhouse