Questions of Majority Rule at Riot Act’s Enemy of the Peopleat The Wherehaüs in Salt Lake City

By Susannah Whitman

Henrik Ibsen’s play Enemy of the People may have been written in 1882, but Riot Act’s current production (adapted by Whit Hertford) proves how relevant this work still is. Enemy of the People, at The Wherehaüs in Salt Lake City, is today’s version of this glorious, thought-provoking work.

Ibsen wrote Enemy of the People in response to the public’s reaction to his previous play Ghosts. His society (by majority rule) considered the play indecent because it challenged Victorian morality and contained veiled references to syphilis. While Enemy of the People was originally a response to this outcry, it still contains fiercely relevant questions about class and power, about government corruption, about the nature of truth, and about whether or not the majority really does rule.

In Ibsen’s script, Thomas Stockmann has discovered that the public baths in the city are contaminated. He makes plans to expose this information with the help of his friend Hovstad, owner of the local newspaper. But he faces opposition from his brother, the mayor Peter Stockmann. Peter (and others) point out that exposing the contaminated baths would have devastating effects on the town’s economy, and cause a great deal of damage to the people.

Hertford’s masterful adaptation sets the story in modern times, in what might as well be Salt Lake City. Instead of contaminated baths, Thomas Stockmann (Andy Rindlisbach) discovers that a new refinery in the area is releasing phthalates into the air, which can cause devastating health problems. Stockmann works with his friend Hovstad (Aaron Kramer) to publish the information on a website the two of them run with their friend Billing (Jerry Costner, Jr).

Riot Act’s production takes place in the basement of the old CUAC contemporary art gallery in Salt Lake City. The warehouse-y/“found space” vibe is perfect for this grassroots story. Thomas George’s set design features a large rug, an old couch, and a table covered with old beer bottles, computers, and sound equipment. At the start of the play, the stage is covered with crumpled newspaper—a reminder that while the press can be powerful, it can also be destroyed quickly and easily. Bobby Cody’s simple, exposed lighting design was a constant reminder that this story is about “the people” and not the elite. While no sound designer is listed for this production, the pre-show music and scene change music was another deeply effective element to the story-telling. The loud, sometimes abrasive, rap and hip hop kept the audience “woke” in every sense of the word.

The cast of Enemy of the People were made up of such talented actors that it’s impossible to pinpoint any one stand out performance. There was a naturalism to their work that showed that they were truly listening to one another, and to the moment. It allowed them to take vocal audience members in stride, and to maintain the flow of the scenes, and make the entire experience feel visceral and real. Every actor was fully present, and their acting wasn’t just strong in their gestures or their voices or their body language—it was in their eyes.

As the passionate Thomas Stockmann, Rindlisbach is phenomenal. He is the perfect flawed hero, in that he is desperate to do “the right thing,” but unable to accept that “the right thing” is often more complicated than it appears. Rindlisbach perfectly balances his righteous anger with a fierce love for truth, and one can’t help but care for him, regardless of whether or not you agree with his views. Kramer plays Stockmann’s friend, the website editor Hovstad, with equal energy and power. In many ways, Hovstad is the foil to Thomas Stockmann—he has the same desire to do what’s right, but he isn’t willing to sacrifice as much to reveal the truth. Kramer is genuine in both his moments of tenderness and his impassioned arguments.

Allie Russell brings a quiet power to the role of Katherine Stockmann (Thomas’ wife). It is through her character that we see most clearly that the personal is political. We empathize deeply with her struggle to balance so many demands: the desire to support her husband, her own wishes for their marriage, the things she thinks and feels about the refinery issue. Russell is sincere in her depth of feeling about all of these things, and communicates it all in a way that you can’t help but both feel and hear, regardless of whether she’s shouting or quietly confiding. As Billing, a close friend to the Stockmanns and Hovstad, Costner is likeable and real—there is something so genuine in his performance that you feel as if you know him. His own passion when confronting the issues of the refinery matches that of Kramer and Rindlisbach.

The Conservative mayor Peter Stockmann is played by Roger Dunbar, who gives a phenomenal performance. Often, actors struggle to portray unlikable characters—there’s a difference between playing the fun “bad guy” and just playing someone deeply dislikable. But Dunbar commits fully to this “benevolent bad guy” role in the way that only genuinely good people can. Stephen Williams raises the stakes as Morten Kiil, Katherine Stockmann’s father. He’s never quite threatening, but it’s clear he holds a great deal of power, and Williams brings a quiet sense of strength and danger to the role. Finally, director and playwright Hertford provides some comedic relief in the form of Aslaksen, a colleague on the website who cares much more about being “sensible” than being truthful.
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Every actor is phenomenal, but it is Hertford’s stunning adaptation that makes their work truly effective. Hertford has a deep, literary understanding of theatre, and it allows him to zoom out from a play, find the most potent themes, and re-package them for modern Utah audiences. Enemy of the People is exactly the kind of fierce commentary that Riot Act has become known for, and their productions are a welcome addition to the Utah theatre scene. Hertford does no disservice to Ibsen, but preserves and explores the playwright’s ideas in new, intelligent, and thought-provoking ways.

There are also moments in Enemy of the People  when the lines between reality and pretend are blurred. The audience actively participates in the Town Hall Meeting. But this blurring is precisely what we’re experiencing in our own society—opinion is given the same weight as fact. Things get personal, and it’s harder to see things objectively. And Hertford’s script does allow us to see every angle, the personal and the objective. Thomas Stockmann wants to give people the truth, at the cost of their jobs and finances. Peter Stockmann wants to give people financial security and growth, at the cost of the truth. Both men are right in some ways, and wrong in others.

The questions that Ibsen asked in the late 1800s are the same questions we ask now. Can we stop truth from being a slave to money? Can we disrupt the status quo without toppling the entire society? What’s the best way to enact change? How do we respond to people who wear their ignorance like a badge of independence? And ultimately, we are forced to ask ourselves, like Ibsen did, if the majority rules, does that mean that the majority is right?

Riot Act’s Enemy of the People will give you much to think about. It’s important to see valuable theater. See Riot Act’s Enemy of the People. It’s important and valuable. 

Riot Act presents Enemy of the People: The Pollution of Truth by Henrik Ibsen and Whit Hertford                                                                                                                               The Wherehaüs (formerly CUAC), 175 E 200 S, Salt Lake City, 84111 (paid parking downtown)                                                                                                           September 20-24, 27-28, October 1, 4-6, 2017, 7:30 PM                                                   General admission $19, Students (with ID) $17. Tickets available at the door or online    Riot Act Theatre Facebook Page         Riot Act’s Enemy of the People Facebook Event