After several years abroad, Helena Alving’s son has returned home. He carries with him a terrifying secret. Ibsen’s Ghosts is a devastating moral thriller in which ideas of love, duty and family are mercilessly put to the test. This spectacular new version, written by one of Ireland’s leading playwrights, Mark O’Rowe, and directed by Jack O’Brien, grabs you by the throat from the outset and refuses to let go – all the way to its electrifying climax.
O’Rowe’s translation minimizes talk of syphilis and scandal, focusing instead on the characters’ interpersonal dynamics, which are solid but unremarkable without the prurience coursing through the work’s venereal veins. Sex might have been more scandalous in 1881, when the play’s publication nearly ruined Ibsen’s career, but eschewing it outright seems a misguided attempt to honor his larger intention of skewering bourgeois morality. Despite the fine performances from the cast, Jack O’Brien’s production never provides a reason as to why we should be eavesdropping on this particular family.
Mark O’Rowe does fine work, honoring the author’s intent while subtly framing the words in contemporary vernacular. Jack O’Brien helms the entire production with tremendous economy and restraint. With the exception of Japhy Weideman’s gorgeous blue-hued, rain-soaked lighting, this is not a technically showy production. The creative team wisely focused their collaborative efforts on the powerful text.
1894 | Broadway |
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1903 | Broadway |
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1912 | Broadway |
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1915 | Broadway |
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1916 | Broadway |
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1919 | Broadway |
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1923 | Broadway |
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1926 | Broadway |
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1927 | Broadway |
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1933 | Broadway |
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1935 | Broadway |
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1937 | Broadway |
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1948 | Broadway |
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1973 | Off-Broadway |
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1975 | Off-Broadway |
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1982 | Broadway |
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1988 | Off-Broadway |
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2002 | Off-Broadway |
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2010 | West End |
London Production West End |
2013 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
2015 | Off-Broadway |
Brooklyn Academy of Music Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2025 | Off-Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater Off-Broadway |
2025 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
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2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Lily Rabe |
2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Lily Rabe |
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