Ghosts

There are ghosts everywhere. There are ghosts here right now. Plagued by the ugly truth of her late husband’s legacy, Helene vows to erase the past and start again. Ignorant to the reality of his father’s character, Osvald, her son, returns home to face an uncertain future.

But when the ember of an illicit romance stands to ruin Helene’s plans to play happy family, she is forced to make a decision that threatens to engulf what’s left of her – and her son’s – life completely. Experience the work of Henrik Ibsen, one of the most influential dramatists of all time, in a scandalous and searing exploration of family secrets and forbidden desire.

Nearly 150 years after causing a furore when it premiered with its depiction of incest, infection and euthanasia, adaptor and director Joe Hill-Gibbins (The Marriage of Figaro, ENO; The Tragedy of King Richard The Second, Almeida), in his Globe debut, brings a new version of Ghosts, the first modern tragedy, to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Ghosts was part of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse 10th Anniversary Season.

This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at The Globe's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in November 2023.