The Lady From The Sea review: intimate, intense and funny

Known for staging shows in ways that make you feel part of the action - whether it’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with acrobats swinging over your head, or Guys & Dolls staged like a nightclub - this time it’s Ibsen with a twist.

At first, the stage looks simple: a clean, stripped-back set with the audience gathered in the round.

Then the rain starts falling indoors. Before long, the whole stage shifts to reveal a full-sized swimming pool. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The Lady From The Sea is a story of love, dishonesty and complicated family ties.

In this modern retelling, the drama feels so close that at times it’s almost uncomfortable, like overhearing a row at the next table. The compact auditorium only adds to that intensity.

The dialogue moves along quickly, with interruptions, in-jokes and overlapping arguments that make it feel like real family life. One moment it’s funny, the next it’s brutally tense.

Andrew Lincoln plays the husband trying to keep his family together. Alicia Vikander, making her adult West End debut, is excellent as Ellida - full of energy, like she might run for the sea at any moment.

The supporting cast add sharpness too, though not every plot feels fully rounded. I left with some questions.

This is Ibsen, but not as he wrote it in 1888. Director Simon Stone has updated the play for the modern day. Sometimes that works brilliantly, but at other times, with mentions of TikTok, Luigi Mangione and OnlyFans, it felt like the script was trying a little too hard to sound current. Though it does get plenty of laughs.

The spectacle and the intimacy together make for an interesting night out. The Lady From The Sea at the Bridge is bold, surprising and often uncomfortable.

The Lady From The Sea runs at the Bridge until 8th November.