Jessica Chastain Makes Broadway Return In 'A Doll's House'

Actress Jessica Chastain is making her Broadway return with Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House."

The three-act play was written by the Norwegian playwright in 1879 and made its premiere at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, that same year. The play focuses on the story of a married woman named Nora in a male-dominated world and garnered a large amount of controversy at the time of its release.

On Wednesday, the “Scenes From A Marriage” actress took to Instagram to reveal the news that she was going to star in the Broadway production years after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown canceled a revival of the popular play in London.

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” actress announced the news in a video on Instagram on Wednesday, November 16. In the video, she revealed the “cool announcement” she had been teasing: she will star as Nora in the Broadway production of the play this spring.

“When I sat down with the brilliant Jamie Lloyd 5 years ago to discuss a possible collaboration, I was over the moon when we decided on A Doll’s House,” she wrote in the caption. “We were set to start rehearsals in London in April 2020, but little did we know what the world (and a pandemic) had in store for us.”

“While home in NY, walking around the empty theater district made my heart hurt,” she continued. “New York has been my home for over 20 years and it’s immensely important to me to take care of this city and support my artist neighbors, who all struggled while our theaters were closed for so long.”

“So I couldn’t be happier to play Nora in A Doll’s House on Broadway!” she added. “I’m very excited to work with Jamie and the incredible Amy Herzog in this city that formed me. I hope in the future to work in The West End but for now I can’t wait to be together with all of the wonderful people of New York and my artistic community on Broadway.”

Many fans and famous friends expressed support for her new role, with many fans expressing hope that it will come back to London after it finishes its run on Broadway.

Although there are no definite dates set, Deadline reported that “A Doll’s House” will appear on Broadway this spring. Amy Herzog’s “radical new production” of the popular play will be directed by Jamie Lloyd. This new production of “A Doll’s House” will be produced on Broadway by the Ambassador Theatre Group, Gavin Kalin Productions, and Wessex Grove.

So far, Jessica Chastain is the only cast member who has been announced. The rest of the cast, production dates, and theater information will all be announced soon.

“Now, nearly a century-and-a-half later, Tony Award nominee Jamie Lloyd and acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog will make freshly relevant a story that shocked audiences and brought forth a new era of theater,” read an announcement regarding the news.

Jessica Chastain previously appeared in a 2012 Broadway production of “The Heiress.” She is currently appeared in the critically acclaimed Netflix series “The Good Nurse” and will next star as country music legend Tammy Wynette for Showtime’s limited series “George & Tammy.” She will star opposite Michael Shannon, who will star as George Jones.

The 45-year-old actress first made her professional stage debut in 1998 as Juliet in a production of the Shakespeare tale “Romeo and Juliet.” She studied at Juilliard, where she became close friends with “Star Wars” alum Oscar Isaac, with whom she starred in the critically acclaimed HBO series, “Scenes From A Marriage.”

Chastain has appeared in many film, TV, and stage roles, including productions of Anton Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” in 2004 and Oscar Wilde's tragedy “Salome” two years later. Chastain did not make her film debut until the age of 31 when she appeared in 2008’s “Jolene.”

She received Academy Award nominations for her roles in 2011’s “The Help” and 2012’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” but did not win the coveted Oscar until her portrayal of Tammy Faye in the 2021 “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” biopic, which she also produced.

Chastain has also appeared in successful films like 2014’s “Interstellar,” 2015’s “The Martian,” and 2019’s “It: Chapter Two.”