Review: SHOOTING HEDDA GABLER, Rose Theatre

A modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's tragic story of Hedda Gabler, reframed to reflect the #MeToo movement sounds both intriguing and promising. Nina Segal's version captures the claustrophobia and anguish of the original, while setting it against a very modern framework, but it suffers from a lack of pace at times. 

Segal's Hedda is a Hollywood actress, only known as Hedda, escaping gossip and press intrusion to the cold of a Norwegian film set to shoot a film version of Hedda Gabler. There she finds awkward rapport with her cast mates and is challenged by the increasingly intense demands of the auteur-director Henrik to become Hedda herself. Things quickly fall apart.

Jørgen and Ejlert remain close to their original characters. Thea becomes an outgoing actor/therapist/intimacy co-ordinator and servant Berta becomes a downtrodden assistant director.

The Good Doctor star Antonia Thomas is an engaging Hedda and convinces as a woman progressively becoming more mentally unstable. Thomas shows a thin veneer of confidence that crumbles under the pressue of the situation. She is needled and provoked by a narcissistic Christian Rubeck, who is a menacing and creepily intense Henrik. Avi Nash shows both vulnerability and naiveity as Ejlert. Both men are appearing for the first time on a British stage.

Anna Andresen provokes sympathy as the victimised Berta, Joshua James is louche and disturbed as on screen husband Jørgen and Matilda Bailes is amusingly offhand as Thea. One problem is that the script finds no real pupose for these three characters; they feel like they are filling space, rather than adding construtively to the story.

Challenging traditional narratives and bringing current music and playful staging can be very successful in re-telling classic stories. Director Jeff James' version of Persuasion at the Rose last year was bold and zippy, but here, despite the best efforts of the cast, the building tension within this production sometimes lacks pace and makes the piece feels overly long.

Kieran Lucas' vibrant sound design brings loud EDM and tracks from Portishead, Halina Rice and Lana Del Rey, but a persistent throbbing in the background throughout many scenes makes you feel a bit too close to Hedda's mental anguish. Hansjörg Schmidt’s thoughtful lighting creates starkness and oppresive moods.

Rosanna Vize chooses green as the dominant colour of the set; perhaps reflecting the poison and toxicity that builds and eventually permeates all parts of the story. As Hedda moves closer to death, huge green plastic sheets cover the set and the stage floor and all characters apart from Henrik appear in green, skin tight full body suits. It certainly conveys a sense of claustrophobia and discomfort.

It's true that Ibsen's original plot is unresolved and complex, but it is Hedda's boredom and lack of purpose that serve as a destructive lesson to the audience. This Hedda isn't bored and is only lacking in direction and confidence. There are so many strands to Segal's script that the audience doesn't know where to look. Is it about mental health? Coercive control? Sexual exploitation? It's a lot to think about.

If you are a fan of Ibsen, you will find this production refreshing and thought-provoking. If you are new to his work, it is unclear if it will convert you.

Shooting Hedda Gabler is at the Rose Theatre until 21 October

Photo Credit: Andy Paradise

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