When staging a timeless classic, it is not enough to rely on the playwright’s ingenuity in order to please the audience. The Pearl Theatre Company’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts proves that no matter how great the work, it’s the acting that matters most.

Because Ghosts has only five characters, it is especially important that all of the actors are well cast. Unfortunately, either director Regge Life’s casting choices were poor, or the actors failed to really take on their roles. Although the play is filled with serious familial issues and a series of shocking tragedies, there seems to be very little emotion present on stage at the Pearl Theatre.

Ghosts was one of Ibsen’s most shocking plays when it was performed in the 1880s. It follows the story of a mother, Ms. Alving, trying to save her son, Osvald, from his dead father’s disturbing legacy. Under the watchful eye of Pastor Manders, the characters begin to question the cultural norms and religious morals of their society.

The two actors with the most stage time—and whose relationship forms the crux of the play—Joanne Camp (Ms. Alving) and John Behlmann (Osvald), seem to be barely emotionally invested in each other. It is as if Camp and Behlmann don’t even react to what the other is saying, but rather wait for their cues. As a result, any emotion actually shown seems extraordinarily staged, which leads to very artificial and stiff performances. When Pastor Manders tells Ms. Alving that she has failed in her duty as a mother, Camp barely flinches and instead appears unaffected by his condemnation.

While Camp and Behlmann remind the audience that they are watching actors and not characters, Tom Galantich’s performance as Pastor Manders manages to rectify the play when he’s on stage. Galantich aptly transforms from a kind, old, grandfather-like character to an extremely strict and overly commanding moral presence. When Galantich must deal with his own hypocrisy during the latter half of the play, the audience can actually see the struggle reflected in his face—unlike the other actors, who are still attempting to put true emotion into their voices.

In the Director’s Note, Life writes that “the mark of a great play is its ability to transcend time, culture, and nationality—Ghosts is one of those plays; it speaks to all.” Unfortunately, Life fails in her mission to stage such a play, and the effect is a production that speaks to no one.

Ibsen, known for his social activism, used this play to highlight issues of religious hypocrisy, outdated social structures, and other problems he saw within northern European society of the late 19th century. While it is easy to say that Ibsen’s plays are outdated in their social commentaries, successful productions bring out the timelessness of Ibsen’s oeuvre. Remarkably, the Pearl Theatre Company has succeeded in making this classic feel aged.

In a successful production of Ghosts, lines such as “It is not in a wife’s place to judge her husband” would be received with contemplative silence or a chuckle acknowledging that this is no longer an accepted maxim. At the Pearl Theatre, triggered by the stiff acting and awkward lack of emotion on stage, the audience erupted with a loud, unified laugh.

Along with Galantich, however, scenic designer Harry Feiner and costume designer Sam Fleming also deserve praise. Feiner manages to recreate the interior of a 19th century upper-class home almost faultlessly, and the actors, dressed in Fleming’s appropriate and elaborate garb, fit right into the setting. Unfortunately, admiring the set and costumes cannot fill two whole hours, and the audience leaves without any contemplative afterthought, yearning instead to re-read the actual play in order to remember what makes Ibsen so great.