Okay, so I'm going to be honest here. I had absolutely no idea who Henrik Ibsen was before I listened to this. Like, zero. I vaguely remembered the name from some college literature class I took before kids melted my brain, but that's it. So when I stumbled across Mr. Punch's Pocket Ibsen while desperately searching for something short enough to finish during Sophie's nap window, I thought - comedy parodies of plays I've never seen? Sure, why not. What's the worst that could happen?
Turns out? Actually pretty fun. In a weird, very British, "I feel like I'm missing half the jokes" kind of way.
When Victorian Humor Meets Minivan Life
Here's the thing about this audiobook - it's only two hours and fourteen minutes. That's like, three school drop-offs and one blessed nap time. I could actually finish something for once without losing the plot thread between interruptions. ("Mom, Lucas is looking at me!" "Mom, I need a snack!" "Mom, why is the sky blue?" You know the drill.)
F. Anstey wrote these parodies for Punch magazine back in the day, and they're basically him going "Ibsen's plays are SO dramatic and weird, let me make them even weirder." There are five plays crammed in here - Rosmersholm, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, The Wild Duck, and The Master Builder. I'd only ever heard of A Doll's House, and that's because my sister-in-law won't shut up about it.
The humor is... okay, it's dated. Like, really dated. Some jokes landed and made me actually snort in the pickup line (got some looks for that). Other times I was like, "Was that supposed to be funny? I genuinely can't tell." It's that very dry, very British thing where you're not sure if they're being serious or not.
The LibriVox Volunteer Situation
So this is a full-cast production with LibriVox volunteers, which means - and I say this with love - it's a mixed bag. Some of the readers are genuinely great. Clear voices, good timing, they get the comedy. Others are... trying their best. Bless them.
The sound quality varies between sections too. One play sounds crisp and clear, the next sounds like someone recorded it in their bathroom. (No judgment - I've definitely hidden in my bathroom to make phone calls.) It's free, it's volunteer-produced, and honestly? For the price of zero dollars, I'm not complaining.
The LibriVox volunteers also did Multilingual Fairy Tale Collection 002, which has that same delightful chaos of different recording quality and accents.
What I will say is that the full-cast format actually helps a lot with these plays. When you've got different voices for different characters, it's way easier to follow who's saying what - especially when you're also trying to remember if you packed Lucas's lunch or just imagined packing it.
Do You Need to Know Ibsen? (Spoiler: Kinda)
Here's my confession. I probably missed like 60% of the jokes because I don't know the original plays. The parody of A Doll's House was the funniest to me because I at least knew the basic plot (woman leaves husband, very scandalous for the 1800s). The others? I was mostly just vibing with the absurdity without really getting the specific references.
It's kind of like when Emma tries to explain Minecraft jokes to me. I laugh because she's laughing, but I have no idea what a creeper is or why it's funny that it exploded.
That said, there's something charming about the whole thing. Anstey's writing has this self-aware quality - he literally admits in the introduction that his parodies aren't obscure enough and his characters aren't crazy enough. That kind of self-deprecating humor? I respect it. That's my whole brand as a mom.
If you want that same self-aware comedy vibe but with way more pop culture references I actually understand, Bossypants is basically required listening.
Who's Actually Going to Enjoy This (And Who Should Skip)
Look, I'm not going to pretend this is for everyone. If you're a theater nerd or an English lit major who actually remembers your Ibsen, you'll probably get way more out of this than I did. If you like that old-timey British humor - think Oscar Wilde but less quotable - you might dig it. If you're just a tired mom looking for something light and short? It works.
Skip it if you need your comedy obvious and modern, or if inconsistent audio quality drives you nuts. My book club would absolutely not get this. Half of them are still traumatized from when I suggested we read something other than romance novels. (We compromised on romantic suspense. Progress.)
Final Dispatch From the Pickup Line
I finished this in about four days, which for me is practically speedrunning. It survived multiple pauses, one toddler meltdown in the grocery store, and that time I had to stop listening because Sophie threw her sippy cup at my head from the backseat.
Would I listen again? Probably not - it's not really a re-listen situation. But am I glad I tried something outside my usual comfort zone of contemporary romance and cozy mysteries? Yeah, actually. Sometimes it's good to remind yourself that books existed before 2020.
Just maybe look up the plot summaries of the original plays first. Future you will thank present you.
