John Gabriel Borkman

This is Henrik Ibsen’s chilling, fiercely relevant John Gabriel Borkman. Written in 1896, and recently revived in a new version by David Eldridge at London’s Donmar Warehouse to great critical acclaim, Ibsen’s penultimate play is a pointed indictment of capitalism, selfish ambition, and greed. The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel Borkman, who used his position as a bank manager to speculate illegally with his clients’ money, ultimately losing the financial investments of hundreds of people. After serving eight years in prison for embezzlement, Borkman has spent the last five years making plans for a comeback, pacing alone in an upstairs room. Meanwhile downstairs, his estranged wife and her sister vie for the loyalty of Borkman’s only son.