Hedda Gabler, Bristol

Theatre Review of Hedda Gabler at Bristol's Alma Theatre.

Henrik Ibsen’s ‘Hedda Gabler’ focuses on the manipulations and cruelty of the protagonist Hedda whose aim in life – as a result of her odd, isolated upbringing - is to have, ‘some power over another human being’. This is to be gradually achieved as she weaves a web of misery and deceit around her perplexed companions, despite never leaving the comfort of her extravagant sitting room.  

The intimate set was exquisite, transporting the audience to 1890s Norway with the ornate furniture and sublime attention to detail in the costume design, three suspended frames, the perfectly constructed canapés and the blood-soaked hands in the final scene. The overall effect was incredibly visually appealing, as were the clever lighting changes taking us from day to night, the rather ominous music and the slick sound effects, notably the gunshot! 

Suffocating in her cage of domesticity, Olivia as Hedda took us on a journey through the development of her delectably sadistic behaviour as she continuously disproved her naïve husband’s better judgment of her. Every move she made contributed to the believability of her sadism when she provoked Eilert Lövborg's suicide for, ‘the sake of beauty’. With the delivery of every line, we were hypnotised by the cool hatred in her eyes and her carefully presented mannerisms, which embodied the growing insanity of her character. We were shown no volatility, but the unpredictability of her ruthlessness absorbed us as she struggled to control her own fate.

There was a subtle element of humour throughout the play from George’s constant referral to Hedda’s weight and his hilarious delivery of the perpetual phrase ‘Aunty Ju-Ju’, to the suave, but authoritative Judge’s incorporation of ‘Americanism’s’ and his saucy request for a peep hole in Hedda’s door. As the Judge’s character grew more familiar we were brought under his spell by his cool sarcasm and seductive drawl.

The male lead, George stole the show playing a man above his years with his consistently upheld mannerisms and physicality’s like his laborious rocking on his feet and his array of inquisitive, baffled expressions, which portrayed beautifully the eccentricities of this complex character. The episode when he worked himself into a state of hysterical excitement over the naming of his unborn child was spectacular. He leapt, tumbled and lunged at his wife in this tornado of emotion, throughout which she gave no reaction, thus illustrating the imbalance of their strange marriage.

As a result of the high-calibre acting the passions of the entangled characters were all exposed with necessary skill to evade the risk of the play becoming a monotonous sitting room tragedy. It was instead a thrilling experience for the audience, an animated, visually appealing, complex tale of manipulation, infatuation and malice.