Flawed Characterisation Handicaps Ewan McGregor’s Return to the West End: Reviewing 'My Master Builder' at the Wyndham's

★★ | The curtain rises on architect Henry Solness (Ewan McGregor) striding onstage to deliver a speech upon the unveiling of his latest project: a contemporary reimagining of a ruined chapel, all glass panes, clear light, and clean lines.  The cameras go off; McGregor winces and groans in obvious discomfort – a slightly oversold take on what we find out later to be flicker vertigo – as he remarks on the unique ability of an architect to turn dreams into reality. The metaphor is almost blindingly obvious and sets the tone for what turns out to be two hours of overindulgent lyrical dialogue that doesn’t really go anywhere. 

For anyone familiar with Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder, the source material that serves as this play’s inspiration, this storyline will not surprise you. An acclaimed architect, who has constructed a new project, is visited by a young woman who arrives at his house and turns out to be an old flame from a decade ago. Central to their ill-fated romance is its morally dubious origin – she was underage at the point of their meeting. As this reunion unfolds, the architect simultaneously navigates a failing marriage with his wife, strained by the death of their son. 

Elizabeth Debicki (as Mathilde) and Ewan McGregor (as Henry) star in My Master Builder. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

However, this is where the similarities end. Written by Lila Raicek, My Master Builder is primarily an examination of power in relationships, in more than one sense of the word. While much less exploitative in nature than the original (where Mathilde was 13 during their initial meeting), Raicek’s play establishes a clear power imbalance between Henry and Mathilde (Elizabeth Debicki) in the academic and corporate spheres that they both inhabit. At the same time, there is a clear sexual undercurrent throughout the play. The innuendo in its title is unmissable, and made uncomfortably obvious multiple times throughout the play with jokes, somewhat awkward pin-drop moments, and a reenactment of a passionate night between the two that was mildly agonising to watch. 

Yet this relationship, which – to me, at least – evidently resulted from Henry grooming a young Mathilde, is introduced in a practically positive and loving light. Their time together is recalled with a certain wistfulness and a longing to recreate the past. Ethical ambiguity aside, these sentiments made it all the more jarring when Mathilde later expresses the resulting trauma she endured to Elena Solness (Kate Fleetwood), Henry’s wife. But when alone with Henry again, Mathilde would almost immediately revert to her idol-worship of him – painting her character as, at best, a confused and muddle-headed girl, and at worst, a shameless home-wrecker. And so, despite being the primary pawn in the Solnesses’ marital game and the main victim of the evening, it is rather difficult to root for her. In fact, this issue resurfaces for all the other characters, making for a rather contradictory and messy watch.  

Nonetheless, it has moments of magnetism, most of which are carried by Kate Fleetwood. In her portrayal of Elena Solness, we are shown a grieving mother, a vindictive wife, a flirtatious woman, a manipulative opportunist, and a shrewd businesswoman – all facets embodied with regality and self-assuredness. She effortlessly navigates the bristly layers of emotional armour that Elena uses to mask the deep-seated pain of losing a child, presenting us with a hugely complex female character for the 21st century.

Kate Fleetwood (as Elena) and Ewan McGregor (as Henry) star in My Master Builder. Photo Credit: Johan Persson.

That being said, by the end of the first act, Elena becomes portrayed almost as the villain, despite being the party first scorned by Henry’s affair. This direction taken by Raicek’s writing is one that I am particularly indignant towards, as it closely aligns with how the media often harmfully portrays women with power and status as threats. Beyond this, Elena’s motivations also often fluctuate sporadically without any appropriate build-up, falling victim to the same back-and-forth that characterises most of the writing. By the end, we don’t quite know what to feel for her. And so, despite Fleetwood’s evident prowess, it is regretfully difficult to sympathise Elena upon the play’s conclusion. 

Likewise, Henry Solness – our supposed tragic hero – distinctly lacks heroism. Other than the bumbling naivety of a man deeply in love, he hardly evokes our sympathy. The reality is as follows: he exploited an underage Mathilde in a teacher-student relationship with a deeply imbalanced power dynamic, and caused the death of his son due to his own negligence. With these circumstances to boot, Henry barely has any redeeming qualities and emerges as a two-dimensional caricature with little nuance. McGregor is not particularly stellar in the role either. Next to Fleetwood, he exhibits little variation in delivery, coming off as rather petulant and immature, leaving us puzzled as to why Elena loves him as much as she does.

Elizabeth Debicki (as Mathilde) and Ewan McGregor (as Henry) star in My Master Builder. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

However, my biggest gripe with the play is the way it paints women as catty, backstabbing, and inherently jealous of other women. The women sabotage and manipulate each other to achieve success while Henry ambles guilelessly around the stage, making it seem as though the women are the villains of the play, though the opposite is likely to be true instead. In fact, a heated conversation at the end of the first act sees a cynical Elena bitterly questioning Mathilde on the realm and extent of female empowerment. While primarily a reflection of Elena’s thoughts at that point in the play, this statement fully encapsulated my thoughts following its conclusion – has feminism progressed so little that contemporary art produced in the 21st century still villainises women? What I think the play was trying to discuss was the modern disillusionment with feminism that some women harbour. Unfortunately, this did not quite succeed, and it instead ended up depicting women as an inherently self-destructive gender. I mean, really? 

Overall, My Master Builder makes for an interesting family drama and an engaging watch. Narratively, a lot takes place, and I can’t quite say I was bored. However, its flippancy with the way it handled the many subjects it attempted to touch upon – from sexual control, to power, to feminism, to infidelity and grief – made it rather superficial and contradictory, and dialogue that had me cringing in my seat made me unsure of what exactly I sat through it all for.

★★

My Master Builder plays at the Wyndham's Theatre until 12 July.