THEATRE REVIEW: Hedda - The Arts Theatre, Nottingham.

 

'Hedda' is director/adaptor Andrew Whittle's 'new' version of Ibsen's classic 1890 play Hedda Gabler.  There are probably as many good reasons for losing the character's surname as there are for retaining it, given the critical cliche that she is more her father's daughter than she is her husband's wife. But audiences should rest assured that this is as close to a traditional production of Ibsen's play as has been seen for some time.  

This comes as a relief, to this reviewer at least: all attempts to update the play to a modern setting have foundered on the failure to translate a crucial plot point, namely the burning of Loevborg's manuscript.  Since the early 21st century, it's been physically impossible to 'lose' a manuscript unless you maintain an allegiance to pen and paper (and who does that?), so it's gratifying to see the masterpiece consigned to the hot stove rather than watching Hedda hammering a laptop to pieces or swallowing a memory stick (two of the more asinine 'solutions' to the problem seen in recent years).  

Adaptor Whittle doesn't play it entirely straight though: occasional moments of effing and blinding (by the servant, Bertha, and by Hedda) strike a jarring note and don't add anything. 

Leaving that aside, this is in many ways a satisfying production, thoughtfully plotted in terms of stage pictures and with convincing period costumes. None of the characters are radically reinterpreted but that, too, comes as relief. Alexandra Whitworth's drawling Hedda presides over a compact version of the Tesman drawing room, dominated by a burgundy suite around which most of the action centres and on which David Hubbell's elastic-limbed Tesman gets to bounce during a crucial denouement late in the play. Monica Nash's Mrs. Elvsted is well-characterised, so it's a pity she was inaudible for long, important stretches of the play, notably the expositional scene in Act 1: those unfamiliar with the text would've been left in the dark, especially if they'd been seated mid-theatre. There is a very powerful and well-judged performance by Robert Hamilton in the difficult but crucial role of Lovborg.  

On opening night in Nottingham, the cast seemed to be getting to grips with an unfamiliar space; hopefully, things will build from here as they set out on a tour which finishes at the end of April.  

Reviewer - Paul Ashcroft
on - 26.3.24