Wagner Moura Stars in Ibsen Trial Remix at Edinburgh
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- Wagner Moura plays Thomas Stockmann in a radical reinterpretation of Ibsen’s play, shifting between character and direct address to implicate the audience in judging his actions.
- Christiane Jatahy, along with Moura and Lucas Paraizo, conceived a hybrid documentary-drama format that dismantles the fourth wall and incorporates video testimony from offstage characters.
- The production unfolds at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh until 10 August, casting 12 audience members as a jury tasked with delivering a verdict on Stockmann’s conduct.
- Julia Bernat and Danilo Grangheia portray Stockmann’s daughter Petra and brother Peter, staging intense familial confrontations that ground the ethical debate in personal conflict.
- The show’s central scandal—contaminated water in a tourism-dependent Brazilian spa town—mirrors real-world crises like those in the US 'forever chemicals' investigations and the docudrama Dirty Business.
Why it matters: This adaptation transforms a 19th-century moral drama into an immersive experience where the audience must weigh truth against economic survival, making the stakes feel immediate and personal. The lack of clear resolution reflects today’s polarized debates over whistleblowing and public trust, with real implications for how societies judge dissent.
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