The water is poisoned but the government authorities bury the story. Is this play set in Flint, Michigan? The media conspire to subdue truths and broadcast alternative facts. Is this play about the conservative conspiracy peddlers like the Sandy Hook deniers? A scientist is figuratively crucified for expressing facts which do not fit the desired political narrative? Is this play about Dr. Fauci and Covid? No. An Enemy of the People was written in 1882.
I have seen Ibsen’s play before and decided to revisit it again when I saw that Amy Herzog (4,000 Miles, The Great God Pan) did a new translation. Her work on the Jessica Chastain led A Doll’s House last year was excellent. As in that production, the essence of the story is a meaty entree to be devoured. This one has the additional benefit of being uncannily relevant to today’s headlines.
Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Jeremy Strong from Succession) is a principled man who discovers his town’s water contains a potentially deadly bacteria. The town is famous as a spa destination. He wants his findings published in the local newspaper. More people will get sick and some will die. His brother (Michael Imperioli from The White Lotus) is an unscrupulous mayor who has other ideas and works his fake news magic.
I’ve seen this play before and it is a classic tale of hypocrisy. An uber principled, unwillingly to negotiate protagonist versus the ubiquitous political and financial power elite. How best to muffle the truth? Discredit him on social media tweets. Well that’s our way now. Back in 1882, a Town Hall mob is the method to publicly discredit and destroy.
And what a Town Hall this staging has. Circle in the Square is a perfect theater for this material. After intermission, the lights do not go down. The citizens assemble and we are them. Watch the easily flipped town leaders bury the inconvenient truth. Science on trial is a never ending theme. Do we have an exact count of how many imbeciles still believe the Earth is flat?
Mr. Strong is both understated and deeply committed in an excellent performance. Is the Doctor 100% accurate in his assessment of the situation? Are his platitudes over-the-top? Could he or should he negotiate a middle ground? That might be hard but the suggestion is floated. His inky, slinky brother is a very competent adversary, however. Mr. Imperioli exudes the trappings of privilege, self-promotion and greed as a memorable villain from yesterday and as a mirror to today’s powerful creeps.
Director Sam Gold has staged a tightly wound drama where everyone is forced to pick a side. Doesn’t that also sound familiar? Special kudos to Dots for their peek under the covers scenic design which, by play’s end, brilliantly depicts the destructive ramifications of political warfare. We surround an intimate family home and witness it torn apart by a world, both then and now, without a moral compass. This revival of An Enemy of the People is both timely and terrific.
An Enemy of the People has performances scheduled through June 23, 2024.