Brutal, confrontational and raw version of Ibsen’s masterpiece Hedda Gabler comes to London.
Just married. Buried alive. Hedda longs to be free.
Patrick Marber’s critically-acclaimed adaptation of Ibsen’s masterpiece Hedda Gabler comes to the Bridewell Theatre from 8-12 July. Made famous by the National Theatre’s 2016 production starring Ruth Wilson, Marber’s visceral new version transforms Ibsen’s subtle psychological tragedy into something more brutal, confrontational and raw. The Telegraph hailed it as “a bold, clear, finally harrowing account of the play”. This is the story of a woman so unhappy, she’ll set the world on fire just to watch it burn.
Widely considered a cornerstone of modern theatre since its 19th century debut, Hedda Gabler (Marber) introduces us to newlyweds Hedda and Jorgen Tesman as they arrive home from their honeymoon. But beneath the perfectly polished surface, Hedda is a powder-keg of desire and defiance. Always seemingly defined by her relationship to someone else, Hedda obsessively covets three intoxicating characteristics for herself that she sees in the men around her: ambition, hedonism and control. These men, together with the play’s women, end up being unwitting pawns in Hedda’s fatal game of seduction and sabotage.
Returning to Sedos following his NODA award-nominated production of The Effect, director Jonathon Harding-Cooper wants to shun the interpretation of Hedda as a “bored housewife” that is quite often credited as the catalyst for her cruelty. This pressure-cooker story is about the illusion of freedom, the battle for social superiority, and the unbearable burden of losing control.
This production will also be staged in traverse, transforming the typically end-on theatre into a setting which better reflects the theme of Hedda being surrounded on all sides by her circumstances.
Cast
HEDDA | Jamila Jennings-Grant (she/her)
TESMAN | Charlie O’Reardon (he/him)
BRACK | Richard Evans (he/him)
THEA | Sarah Berryman (she/her)
LOVBORG | Ricky Pancholi (he/him)
JULIANA | Jeryl Burgess (she/her)
BERTE | Ingrid Miller