HENRIK Ibsen’s 1891 play, Hedda Gabler is without doubt one of the greatest and potentially the first portrayals of a female neurotic lead in the history of theatre. The highly-acclaimed Ruth Wilson certainly lives up to the anti-heroine role with gusto and devilish charm, as she takes to the stage of the National in a new version of the play by the acclaimed British writer Patrick Marber. The production also marks the NT debut for Belgian director, Ivo van Hoe who must be congratulated for pulling off such a cleverly understated yet powerful production of a familiar classic.
Kyle Soller as Tesman and Ruth Wilson as Hedda Gabler
Jaded, trapped and unstimulated, Hedda Tesman (née Gabler) is newly married and has returned from her honeymoon with her husband, played quite brilliantly, in an excited puppy sort of way, by the enigmatic Kyle Soller. The daughter of an aristocratic general, Hedda is headstrong and impatient and it soon becomes clear that her marriage was one purely of convenience, as she fears her years of youthful abandon are over, “I needed to settle down. I settled for him.”
Ruth Wilson, Rafe Spall (Judge Brack) and Eva Magyar as Berte
But we can’t feel totally sorry for Hedda’s browbeaten husband, as his obsession with academia and research takes over every minute of his time and every fibre of his being, leaving his new wife bored out of her brains. As the story develops, we learn about various ex-lovers of Hedda’s, who fly in and out of the couple’s marital home, all bringing their own pasts and hidden agendas, and threatening an already unstable marriage.
Sinead Matthews (Mrs Elvsted) and Chukwudi Iwuji (Lovborg)
Underpinned by a beautiful soundtrack of Joni Mitchell’s Blue (although four times is quite enough) and Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah, this production is cleverly and stylishly designed, written and directed, focusing less on Hedda as a character and more on her relationships with everyone else in the play. Van Hove’s bold choices in casting and characterisation really modernise Ibsen’s original choices, which certainly pay off. Judge Brack played by the formidable Rafe Spall, is a wonderfully sinister Casanova, while Hedda’s usually uptight husband is a dynamic, youthful American.
Chukwudi Iwuji, Ruth Wilson and Kyle Soller
These refreshing and contemporary decisions are emphasised by Jan Versweyveld’s sparse set, which never changes from the couple’s almost totally unfurnished and soulless apartment, mirroring the shallowness of their partnership. The vast emptiness of the space makes for uncomfortable viewing, when Hedda makes a childish and manic attack on the flowers sent from well wishes and dramatically staple guns them individually to the wall.
Ruth Wilson
My only criticism is that it was hard to pinpoint the exact era this was meant to be set as the characters were writing letters to one another and using archaic turns of phrase but Berte, the housekeeper spent the entire play buzzing in guests through what seemed to be a high-tech video telecom system. Furthermore, there were some awkward moments with Hedda’s use of a pistol and Mrs Elvsted (played by Sinead Matthews) falling dramatically to the floor at one point, which really didn’t fit with an otherwise finely-tuned and smooth production.
Ruth Wilson with Rafe Spall
There is no doubt that Ruth Wilson’s Hedda is truly something to behold. Surprisingly buttoned up at times, it’s the subtleties and nuances of her performance which keep the audience hanging onto her every movement. She makes Hedda relatable, yet still hateable in such a mischievous and delightful way. Her command of the stage is transfixing and watching her varied interactions with each individual character is quite incredible, yet all the while she is paraded, scorned and teased repeatedly.
Sinead Matthews with Ruth Wilson
This is a beautifully re-imagined and reinvigorated version of Ibsen’s classic, though the messages of a play 125 years old still ring frighteningly true – Ibsen was really ahead of his time.
by Heather Doughty
Photographs: National Theatre
@nationaltheatre
Hedda Gabler runs at the Lyttelton at the National Theatre until March 21 2017. The play will be broadcast by NT Live on March 9 2017
National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX
Box office tel: 020 7452 3000
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