Overview
'Do you remember how long ago it was? The last time we saw each other…' On the eve of July 4th, in the Hamptons, Elena is preparing to throw a party to celebrate her husband, Henry, as he unveils his latest architectural masterpiece. But their already vulnerable union is shattered by the unexpected arrival of a former student of Henry's, Mathilde, with whom he shared an intimate connection… Inspired by Ibsen, Lila Raicek's My Master Builder is a startling play that lays bare the vulnerabilities we expose when we leave ourselves open to love. It was first performed at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End in 2025, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Ewan McGregor, Elizabeth Debicki and Kate Fleetwood. 'A punchy and poisonous spin on Ibsen's original play... Raicek unflinchingly investigates the imbalance of the power dynamic inherent in that age-old cliché of the older professional man and the younger impressionable woman... an appealingly murky mixture of sex, power and professional status' — iPaper 'Very much a play about the consequence of infidelity on a marriage, and a wife's pained rage... moments of great intensity, and real candescence to the writing... This is a story not of genius men building castles in the air for their princesses but of what destruction they wreak in their homes in so doing. Really, it is the drama of The Master Builder's Wife' — Guardian
Full Product Details
Author: Lila Raicek
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Imprint: Nick Hern Books
Dimensions:
Width: 12.90cm
, Height: 0.70cm
, Length: 19.80cm
Weight: 0.113kg
ISBN: 9781839044601
ISBN 10: 1839044608
Pages: 96
Publication Date: 15 May 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
'A punchy and poisonous spin on Ibsen's original play... Raicek unflinchingly investigates the imbalance of the power dynamic inherent in that age-old cliché of the older professional man and the younger impressionable woman... an appealingly murky mixture of sex, power and professional status' * iPaper * 'Very much a play about the consequence of infidelity on a marriage, and a wife's pained rage... moments of great intensity, and real candescence to the writing... This is a story not of genius men building castles in the air for their princesses but of what destruction they wreak in their homes in so doing. Really, it is the drama of The Master Builder's Wife' * Guardian *
Author Information
Lila Raicek is a New York-based playwright and novelist. Her plays include My Master Builder (West End, 2025). Author photo by Emilio Madrid
