Synopsis Classic drama of a woman consumed by her passions and driven to destroy all she should love. Hedda's recent and unexpected marriage to worthy but dull academic Tesman is threatened when she returns from honeymoon to find that Lovborg, a charismatic but dissolute previous admirer, has reformed his ways and published a best-selling masterpiece. His now-found success now threatens Tesman's own claim to a professorship - which is his only hope of supporting Hedda in the style she demands. Tesman is already in debt to another of Hedda's admirers, the dangerous Judge Brack. But suddenly events seem to put Hedda in a position to control all their destinies. This is a blistering examination of a woman in turmoil.
NOTE: This review dates from March 2005 and this production's original run at London's Almeida Theatre. For current venue information, see performance listings.
Fresh from big budget musical Mary Poppins, a story of a dysfunctional family and the redemption it receives from the appearance of an airborne nanny, director Richard Eyre now turns to Hedda Gabler, a far more merciless and shatteringly intense portrait of another dysfunctional marriage under irrevocable strain.
Eyre, who has also provided the Almeida’s new version of Ibsen’s 1890 play, says that he was drawn to revive it when he chanced upon an interview in Hello! magazine with “a rich posh young woman who was celebrated for being celebrated… and yet had no talent for anything but self-advertisement.” She was quoted as saying, “I’m afraid I have a great talent for boredom.”
That’s echoed here, of course, by Hedda who tells her friend Judge Brack, “There’s only one thing I have a vocation for – boring myself to death.” She’s just returned from a six-month honeymoon, spent trailing around after her academic husband as her pursued his academic interests, and is already suffocating to death. “You can’t imagine how bored I’m going to be here,” she complains.
But there’s nothing boring about watching the riveting machinations that this ruthless manipulator indulges in as she seeks to keep herself morbidly amused and us bemused. As played by Eve Best, with equal measures of calculation and revulsion at what she’s doing, you simply cannot take your eyes off her. Eyre has said that it was seeing Best in Mourning Becomes Electra at the National (on the same day that he read that Hello! article in a dentist’s waiting room) that convinced him she was “born to play Hedda”, and that it was a sign he should do the play.
Thank heavens for waiting rooms. Best has been rapidly climbing the ranks of our leading young actresses, but she now makes a quantum leap to the very top. Like a cross between Vanessa Redgrave and Fiona Shaw (the latter in the audience herself on press night), Best has height, intensity and a sense of danger, but without the other ladies’ sometimes distracting affectations or mannerisms.
Hers is a harrowing portrait of despair, but Eyre has not made it a one-woman show. Best is powerfully partnered by Lisa Dillon as an old school friend whom she used to torment as a child and Jamie Sives as an ex-flame whose own destruction she also brings about. Benedict Cumberbatch and Iain Glen also make strong contributions as Hedda’s husband and confidante respectively.
I feel a bit churlish writing this as I like to think I have an empathy with actors. However, having delayed our visit until almost the last performance we finally got to see the play at a matinee performance on Wednesday 3 August. As happens all too often on buying a programme we found therein the ubiquitous slip of paper that usually announces that one of the leading actors is off. This time it was Eva Best and our first reaction was one of intense disappointment followed by a wish to support the understudy. The curtain went up a little late to a good set and immediately impressive acting. Hedda came on. The actress playing her was perfect in appearance for the role but had a slight air of uncertainty about her which we found disconcerting. She did her very best aided by a supportive and excellent cast but was unable to bring the character to life or to make her totally believable. We sensed an uneasiness and a lack of depth in the performance and that it turn made us feel slightly uneasy. There was no feeling of high drama and tension at the end of the second act and Hedda's suicide was not shocking.
We bought our tickets from the half price box office in Leicester Square earlier that day. Would it not have been possible for them to inform customers that the leading lady was not performing rather that have them arrive at the theatre and feel slightly swindled?
The aforementioned excellence of the supporting cast almost made things worse. Having read the reviews given to Eva Best it is obvious that we missed a definitive ensemble performance. What's even worse it that as the play finishes on Saturday we will never now have this opportunity.
I don't expect a performance to be cancelled because the lead is off. I know that is financially impracticable and unfair on the other actors. I know that actors get ill just like the rest of us. I accept that the actress concerned was also understudying another major role and had probably not had the opportunity to rehearse or study the part in very great depth nor the benefit of performing the role for several months already. I understand all this but still feel slightly hard done by.
In the circumstances we may very well have decided to buy a ticket even if we had been told in advance that the lead was off but no information was given at the box office or in the entrance to the theatre. No announcement was made so anybody not forking out for a programme would not have known who they were seeing. In a way I can understand the lack of announcement - there must be little worse for an actor waiting to go on to hear a great sigh emanate from the audience at the prospect of seeing them. I hope Eva Best recovers soon from whatever ails her. - 194.217.194.138)
04 Aug 05
Brilliant director, brilliant actors. Clever, moving and cruel, probably one of the best shows I've seen for months. Ms Best is definitely a classy thespian and an upcoming star of the UK stage. - 62.202.51.178)
02 Aug 05
Well we nearly didn't go to London last night because of the terrorist scare, but then we thought we might as well try and get a train to Waterloo and walk to the Duke of York's from there. We are SO glad we did. I have seen some fantastic plays recently, but this is the best I've seen in literally years. The acting, particularly Eve Best, was superb. She seems to have a quality of stillness about her that only the really great actors/actresses have. A fantastic evening. I hope to be able to go again before the run closes on 6 August. LD - 81.139.230.29)
22 Jul 05
Already a cracking production when it was in Islington, this superb rendition of the piece is, if anything, even better now. Richard Eyre's adaptation is engaging, naturalistic and powerful, and the design is pefect, deceptively clever in fact. Eve Best is magnificent...she has charm, sex appeal, danger, yet a sense of gawkiness as though this Hedda is just too big for her surroundings. All of the acting is superb, especially Benedict Cumberbatch's younger-than-usual Tesman, Iain Glen's predatory Judge and Gillian Raine's kindly, straight-forward Aunt Juju. All in all, a credit to the West End. - 195.82.123.181)
30 Jun 05
Faultless. For once, a production of Hedda Gabler with actors of the ages of the characters they play and so making the play so much more credible. Magnificent performances all round particularly from Eve Best giving one of the very best portayals of Hedda that I have seen. - 80.177.231.164)
Opened 10 Sep 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre,name changed in 1895. Major refurbishment 79/80. Taken over by the Royal Court during their two year refurbishment starting in 1996, called the Royal Court downstairs. 650 seats. Society of London Theatre member. An [ATG] member.
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