Christiana Rose on a bold, contemporary take on Ibsen’s vision at Wyndham’s Theatre

The stage of My Master Builder at Wyndham's Theatre — Credit – Christiana Rose

Henrik Ibsen’s original play The Master Builder from 1892 is a complex psychological drama which explores ambition, guilt, aging, and the cost of success. Michael Grandage’s stylish take on the original, rebranded as My Master Builder, takes place in a sun-drenched Hamptons mansion. While Ewan McGregor returns to the London stage after 17 years as architect Henry Solness, it’s Kate Fleetwood’s scorned wife Elena whose actions transform Ibsen’s play into a gripping, modern exploration of power, betrayal, and gender dynamics.

Charming and compelling, McGregor’s Henry is an aging man fearful of becoming irrelevant, mourning his son and trapped in a bitter loveless marriage. His earnestness is appealing, but the choice to lean into a likable man misses the darker narcissism of Ibsen’s original. The nuance is helpful in understanding the obligation to the marriage, yet the role ultimately feels lacking in potential.

Stealing every scene, Fleetwood delivers Elena as sharp, calculating, and emotionally raw. Her portrayal of a woman scorned, layered with grief, rage and fiercely tempting separation feels like exactly the right approach to make the play relevant to modern society. The complexity of the scale of damage Elena wishes to cause is spellbinding, with an aim of spectacularly bulldozing Henry’s very foundation.

Graceful and poised, Debicki depicts Mathilde with quiet strength and rationality. Her chemistry with McGregor is delicately restrained, fuelled by fear and in acknowledgment of the ten-year gap of contact. A wonderful exchange where Henry woefully fails in recollecting the intricacies of their past relationship is gloriously comedic, bringing light to the action, but also solidifying the distance and lack of truth in the relationship. Ibsen’s original character of Hilda was arguably constructed as more of an idea than a flame, a mirror to Elena’s fury and therefore Hilda’s status is somewhat diminished.

David Ajala as the charismatic Ragnar represents both Henry’s protege and rival architect, creating unease for Henry. Ragnar’s secret relationship with Elena’s assistant, Kaja played by Mirren Mack does little to further the feminist call to equality however.

Michael Grandage’s direction moves the emotional stakes along briskly, with good pace and progression. Lila Raicek’s adaptation updates Ibsen with a #MeToo lens, reorienting the story around the emotional and professional fallout between Elena and Mathilde. The feminist reframing feels both timely and appropriate to focus on Elena’s scheme.

Richard Kent’s set is a visual spectacle creating illuminated flooring beam levels with a pastel Hamptons backdrop, simultaneously luxurious and claustrophobic. Lighting by Paule Constable contributes cleverly, propelling an atmosphere finely tuned to the characters’ fractured interior lives.

Ultimately McGregor’s Henry lacks the inner fire required, however the themes of grief, infidelity, and female agency resonate loudly. The emotionally charged evening unfolds as an important repositioning of the play, acknowledging the healthier lack of tolerance of incompatibility in modern day relationships.

My Master Builder runs at The Wyndham’s Theatre until 12 July 2025.

4 stars

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.