Much of the strength of Ibsen's plays comes from the subtle nuances in the dialogue and the claustrophobic silences, the knowing glances. His drama lays it weight on words, rather than action: dark secrets slowly emerge, taboos are broken. Yet unfortunately this production of Ghosts, a new version by Frank McGuiness and directed by Iain Glen (who also plays Pastor Manders), thick with melodrama, at times loses the haunting quality of the story told.
      Ibsen uses a contained, domestic environment to offer a social critique of the Victorian values that prevailed in Europe at that time. As the play progresses, the shrouds of dishonesty are torn from the repressed mother and preaching pastor to reveal raw and brutal truths, which often caused uproar amongst contemporary audiences of the period. Glen's production, a little slow at first, picks up pace with a compelling second half.
      Mrs. Alving, the widow who has sacrificed her life to the memory of a scoundrel husband she despised, was described by Ibsen as what his Nora might have become had she never left her doll's house. She is a difficult character to master - at once filled with resentment, self-loathing and sadness and yet also possessing great tenderness and charm. Torn between her love for and terror of the grown son who has returned to her sick with syphilis, she is inevitably the centre of any version of ''Ghosts,'' and has been famously played by actresses from Nazimova to Vanessa Redgrave. Lesley Sharp wants to understand this woman, and at times she succeeds. Her portrayal of Mrs. Alving's grief towards the close of the play is moving and the fabled scene of indecision that concludes ''Ghosts'' is very dark indeed.
      Harry Treadaway gives a strong portrayal of Oswald, cutting between a denial and acknowledgment of his fate, but his depiction of madness is sometimes over-worked with big, loud gestures. Great emphasis is laid upon 'filthy living' and the 'sins of the father', as if we might miss the fact that he has inherited his disease from his irresponsible, corrupt father (or indeed miss the metaphors therein).
      A more subtle, restrained performance comes from Jessica Raine as Regine, the servant girl, who, it emerges, is also - unbeknownst to her - tied up in the sordid knots of the small community. Malcolm Storry, always a fine actor, plays the carpenter, Engstrand, with an irony that stays true to Ibsen's own dark humour.
      Ghosts has a timeless quality and its existential themes are as pertinent now as they were more than a century ago. Although no Bergman take on the play, Glen's cast work well here, creating a production that highlights both the comedy and tragedy in the story.
Florence Mackenzie