John Gabriel Borkman by IBSEN, Henrik

John Gabriel Borkman is the penultimate play of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, written in 1896. The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to illegally speculate with his investors money. The action of the play takes place eight years after Borkmans release when John Gabriel Borkman, Mrs. Borkman, and her twin sister Ella Rentheim battle over the future of young Erhart Borkman. Though John Gabriel Borkman continues the line of naturalism and social commentary that marks Ibsens middle period, the final act suggests a new phase for the playwright, a phase brought to fruition in his final more symbolic work When We Dead Awaken. (Summary by Wikipedia) CastJohn Gabriel Borkman: Bruce PirieMrs. Gunhild Borkman: Arielle LipshawErhart Borkman: Ernst PattynamaElla Rentheim: Elizabeth KlettMrs. Fanny Wilton: AvailleVilhelm Foldal: Alan MapstoneFrida Foldal: Grace GarrettMrs. Borkmans Maid: Amanda FridayNarrator: Robin KingAudio edited by Elizabeth Klett