Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s revered 1891 play, Hedda Gabler, is a monumental work, in many senses. With a runtime of around two hours (and multiple gunshots) it’s the typical 19th-century melodrama. But instead of a tragically ambitious king at its centre, there’s a woman who can’t quite escape the bonds of her society. (Sometimes, it’s described as “the female version of Hamlet”.) Prominent local director, dramaturge, and teacher Anthony Skuse directs and adapts a brand new, condensed version (with the perfect runtime of about 95 minutes, no interval) on the catwalk-like traverse stage of KXT on Broadway.
This version isn’t really about Hedda, though. Instead, Skuse places the action in the laps of the audience – with four golden seats scattered in the front rows reserved for the actors, and set pieces arranged uncomfortably close to our feet. The set design by James Smithers (who also plays Hedda’s husband, JørgenTesman) is simple, leaving wide empty spaces for the actors to inhabit. A piano and its maid (composer and pianist Christie May) haunt the corner of the stage, mirrors line the walls, and flowers and books are strewn everywhere. It’s an imposing image, stripped of all the gilded fancy of Hedda’s huge mansion, a home in which she feels just as trapped as her unwanted marriage.
Ella Prince (they/them) plays the titular anti-heroine, their blonde pixie cut and silk pyjamas hinting at an androgynous take on the classic character. Her new husband, Tesman, sports the unruly mop of hair that’s typical of the “brilliant” male academic, and his doting aunt Juliana (Suzann James) is always dressed to the nines. Jane Angharad’s Thea Elvsted is the sweet and a balanced foil to Ella’s increasingly manipulative Hedda. Jack Angwin keeps tensions high as Hedda’s scorned, tortured lover; and Christopher Tomkinson plays a nuanced Judge Brack, who never stops chasing Hedda’s beauty.
Like a lot of melodramatic tragedies from this era, Hedda Gabler has a tendency to hit you over the head with its message. This version does a brilliant job of condensing the action, and ramping up the intensity even more – with mixed results. Prince’s Hedda is somewhat overwrought, and the audience involvement can feel a bit contrived in an already intimate space like KXT. The pianist/maid also serves to announce each act, which gets a little awkward by Act Four, but the intention of modernising this classic play is to be commended.
There is much to be enjoyed about this production, and the emotional rollercoaster hits almost all the levels you could want as it hurtles towards Hedda’s inevitable end. I only wish that the experimental take on Hedda’s gender identity were explored with deeper nuance, beyond her androgynous appearance.
Hedda Gabler is presented by Secret House in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Co at KXT on Broadway. The season runs until November 2, and you can find tickets over here.
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