An Enemy of the People: a 'blistering, modern-dress production'

Director Thomas Ostermeier's update of Ibsen's classic is 'shockingly fresh'

Matt Smith and Jessica Brown Findlay in a scene from Thomas Ostermeier's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People"
Matt Smith delivers a 'nuanced, complex portrayal' of Dr Thomas Stockmann
(Image credit: Jed Cullen / Dave Benett / Getty Images)

"When did 'facts' become subjective?" roars Matt Smith, as his character, Thomas Stockmann, reaches breaking point. The line "could have been written yesterday", said Sarah Hemming in the FT. In fact, Henrik Ibsen's great political drama dates from 1882, "long before terms such as 'fake news' and 'alternative facts' became common currency".

However, in this "blistering, modern-dress production", brilliantly updated by acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier and featuring a "superb" central performance by the former "Doctor Who" star, the piece feels shockingly fresh. Ibsen's play tells the story of the whistleblower Dr Stockmann, who reveals that the spa waters of his town are polluted; but as the disastrous commercial implications become clear, the community unites against him.

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Tiresome more like, said Clive Davis in The Times. I found this "sophomoric" production "so clumsy, it might almost be part of some sinister conservative plot to kill off left-wing theatre once and for all". The public debate feels like a "lukewarm edition of Question Time". The play collapses under the weight of the director's "editorialising", agreed Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard. Still, the acting is first-rate. Smith gives a "nuanced, complex portrayal of a flawed man", and the terrific ensemble includes "the great Paul Hilton" as his brother, who delivers a "study in sour disapproval and sibling resentment".