the play for this program, peer gynt, by henrik ibsen. now your host, mr. jose ferrer. i have been active in the theater for over 40 years, and it has never ceased to fascinate, challenge and excite me. how to describe the feeling that inevitably comes over you when the house lights dim, the curtains open or when the musicians tune their instruments, then silence? and then the overture begins. whether actor or director or playwright or audience member, all of us share in that special moment, that special magic, the here and now event which can only take place within the specialized conditions of theater. you hear a lot about what theater really is. in fact, the comparison most often heard has to do with a mirror. the comparison, of course, is borrowed from shakespeare, when hamlet says, "to hold as 'twere a mirror up to nature." for many, theater is a reflection of life, an imitation. now, certainly, there can be a mirroring effect in the theater. as with any artist, if the dramatist or playwright holds up a mirror to nature, it is the mirror of that individual's own mi

. ♪ >> "a doll's house" is henrik ibsen's landmark play of 1879.t is at the brooklyn academy of music through march 23. writing, by the end, my nerves were ground meat. we were heading back to manhattan in a taxi. i don't think either of us expected to get much sleep. when theater is this exciting, here's a look at the production. >> torvald? >> my husband. >> you must love me very much, which is exactly how it should be. >> sometimes, i have terrible urges. >> urges? >> you are hiding something from me. >> what do you mean? you have no idea what i'm going to ask? >> why? it contaminates things. >> i was saving his life. >> the law is not interested in motives. >> you must tell torvald everything. >> do you have any idea what it is that you've done? >> read your lessons. >> you were looking away. [laughter] different than the theater, watching it on the screen like that. >> we recorded that two years ago. >> what happens after march 23? >> we finish at bam on march 23 but then i have no idea. we've had several opportunities to play it. >> is the gi