THE LADY FROM THE SEA

About the show

The sun shines upon Dr. Wangel’s beautiful, languid summer garden. His daughters, Hilde and Bolette, are marking their late mother’s birthday, yet Wangel’s new, young wife, Ellida, seems indifferent. What is it about this mysterious woman—so pensive and distant—that occupies her thoughts? What is she brooding over? Director Anna Balslev, a resident director at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, has brought her regular collaborators—set designer Laura Løwe and composer Viktor Dahl—to the National Theatre. Together, they have crafted a beautiful, musical, and timeless version of The Lady from the Sea. Experience a sensory, physical production about maturing through encounters with the brutal realities of life. It explores the tension between desire and rational life choices—the longing for the unknown and the potential inherent in freedom. Yet, even modern, seemingly free individuals tend to make safe, rational decisions; for desire and infatuation are no guarantee of lasting love. Do we dare risk our comfortable, controlled, and financially stable happiness to discover whether the grass might be greener on the other side?