Ibsen’s work is not as popular as it once was. At one time, if you were planning on going to college but didn’t know at least one of his plays (The Doll’s House, for example), you would have been considered a slacker. Nowadays, though, Ibsen is just not required reading or viewing. In our jaded and ostensibly multicultural age, the societies we live in tend to be less uniform or coherent than they were in Ibsen’s time. One result of that is that Ibsen’s work often seems neither instructive nor shocking. The only place you’re likely to see a production of an Ibsen play in the 21st century is in Denmark or Norway. Or at an institution that doesn’t expect to turn a profit. Which brings us to Nomadic Theatre, a student-run organization at Georgetown University that has taken up the gauntlet and given us a production of Ibsen’s Ghosts in a new adaptation — Ghosts: A Family Tragedy by CC Mesa.

Ghosts is a play that is full of grief, guilt, and rage. Captain Alving, the patriarch of the Alving family, was a syphilitic ne’er do well who passed the disease on to his son and fathered a daughter — outside of his marriage with their household maid. Mrs. Alving seeks guidance and comfort from the local reverend, Pastor Manders. In the course of their conversations, Mrs. Alving finds herself attracted to the Pastor. Pastor Manders advises Mrs. Alving to return to her husband and fulfill her responsibilities to him. Reluctantly, she does so. She also arranges for their son to be educated outside of the country and beyond the influence of the Captain. And she provides a dowry for the pregnant maid to marry local carpenter Jacob Engstrand, who then raises the daughter, Regine, as his own child. At the opening curtain, time has passed, and Captain Alving has died. The son, Oswald, having become an artist, has returned to spend some time with his mother. Regine — like her mother before her — is working in the Alving household as a maid, and Mrs. Alving is planning the building of an orphanage in town in the Captain’s honor.

What I appreciated:

Every member of the production is energetic, determined, capable, and well-cast. Despite the density and internecine nature of the plot, these folks do not give up. Claire Cable (as Helene Alving) demonstrated the flexibility of listening and adapting to people around her that her character needed. Brendan Meehan (as Osvald Alving) was typecast. He has the pale and dark-haired look of the starving artist. But he balanced the irony, selfishness, and arrogance of his character skillfully. Tai Remus Elliot (as Jakob Engstrand) demonstrated a humor that, combined with his British accent, made him seem a little Alfred P. Doolittle from My Fair Lady. That humor provided the audience with a way out of the density of some of the text. Anna Kummelstedt (as Regine Engstrand) gave a solid supporting performance. Will Kennedy (as Pastor Manders) gave a forceful and presentational performance. I was unclear about his pastorliness, however. I look forward to seeing these actors in another production in the future.

CC Mesa’s adaptation was accomplished in smooth, uncluttered American English. No matter how extreme the characters’ choices were, they were clear.

The painted backdrop of the Norwegian fjords (Madeleine Ott) was dramatic and evocative.

What I missed:

In addition to adapting the play, CC Mesa also directed it. I wish that the director side of CC Mesa had shown a little more faith in the script adaptation they made and the talent and craft of the actors they cast and had given the proceedings a little more space to breathe. The show might have run 30 minutes longer. And perhaps that would have been a strain. But I wonder whether the production might have gained some humility and allowed the audience to develop greater empathy around the choices that these people made. As it was, at moments, I felt a little judgy of the characters, and that took me out of the play.

Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission.

Ghosts played March 27 through April 5, 2025, presented by Nomadic Theatre performing at Village C Theatre, 3795 Library Walk, on the Campus of Georgetown. University.

Ghosts, A Family Tragedy by Henrik Ibsen, a new adaptation by CC Mesa

CAST
Helene Alving: Claire Cable
Osvald Alving: Brendan Teehan
Jakob Engstrand: Tai Remus Elliot
Regine Engstrand: Anna Kummelstedt
Pastor Manders: Will Kennedy

PRODUCTION
Director: CC Mesa
Producer: Patrick Clapsaddle
Asst. Producers: Sophie Maretz, Ruby Lillie
Stage Manager: Mariana Salinas
Asst. Stage Manager: Anandita Agarwal
Technical Director: Linsey Brookfield
Asst. Technical Director: Sophia Lu
Lighting Designer: Alex Wang
Asst. Lighting Designer: Julia Swanson
Sound Designer: Molly Kenney
Asst. Sound Designer: Julia Nguyen
Set Designer: Olivia Li
Asst. Set Designer: Julia Swanson