It might be that Ibsen found the character amusing. Torvald, convincingly played by Patrick Kilpatrick, seems too good to be true - a model of honor and uprightness, smugly convinced of his virtue.
Nils Krogstad is the man who granted Nora the loan all those years ago and has haunted her ever since. Krogstad is not the stock villain of melodrama but a complex character.
He wants to work off his bad reputation and live honestly, but is buffeted by conflicting emotions - self-interest, desire for revenge, craving for security, even compassion for Nora. Little of this emotional storm is revealed in Scott Alan Small's controlled performance.
Kathryn Kelly is quietly moving as Kristine Linde, a school friend of Nora, who has a history with Krogstad.
Dr. Rank is a secret admirer of Nora. A sickly man, he is the victim of what Ibsen hints is congenital syphilis. Kristine and Nora comment on Rank's habitually subdued manner, so it's not clear why Charlie Mitchell brings a brash, emphatic delivery to the role.
Jan Boulet, as the maid and nanny, gets a great deal out of her few entrances. Her character has lived with Nora for years, and the audience can always see what she's thinking about her employer.
Brennan Johnson and Allie Hough add freshness and charm as the Helmers' children, Ivar and Emmy.
The dialogue, though newly translated, remains formal at times. It calls for precise enunciation, which the cast, particularly Schlegel and Kelly, achieves.
The play will be presented through March 2 at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with 2 p.m. performances Sunday and March 2 at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road, Ellicott City. Reservations: 866-811-4111 or www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com.
