Hedda Gabler (Manchester)

For an actress, Hedda Gabler is a plum of a role. And in this latest Royal Exchange outing, as part of its high-powered 25th anniversary season, Amanda Donohoe relishes every last bite of this juicily tormented and complex part.

Ibsen’s drama was written in 1890, but it’s situation remains familiar to many who are constrained by social institutions and expectations. Recently returned from a six-month honeymoon, Hedda realises her respectable new life is not the pleasurable doddle she expected but rather a dull and bourgeois trap. To combat her boredom, she resorts to playing manipulative mind games with those around her, which leads to further problems with her old lover Eilert Loevborg James Clyde, for whom she still has feelings, and the conniving Judge Brack Terence Wilton.

As husband George and Aunt Julia, Simon Robson and Avril Elgar set up the story convincingly in the first scene. And then Donohoe steps into the round. And what an entrance! From that moment on, it’s difficult to take your eyes off of this Hedda.

That’s because Donohoe is simply magnificent. Imperious and witty, the barbed remarks shoot from her lips with razor-sharp and deadly aim. And the frustration she feels is palpable. Though far more intelligent than any of the male characters – especially her husband, a research graduate with his head constantly in the books – Hedda is constantly belittled and blocked from fulfilling her potential. She is “the beautiful Hedda”, “a lady”, “a trophy wife” and no more, so they think.

Of course, by heaping plaudits on Donohoe, I don’t want to suggest for a minute that the other performances, under Braham Murray’s confident direction, are unimpressive. The ensemble here is all strong, with particularly excellent input from Eileen Essell as the elderly maid Bertha, James Clyde as the angst-ridden Eilert and Kate Isitt as the desperate Thea Elvstead. Terence Wilton also makes a nicely seedy Judge Brack.

But, still and all, Donohoe’s Hedda is undeniably the star of the show. And the efforts of the creative team underline this further. The lush costumes show Donohoe at her very best, in particular the red “power” dress, which is so striking it causes the other characters to pale into near insignificance. Jason Taylor’s lighting also lingers on the lady, who is never relegated to the shadows. And while Liz Ashcroft’s set is stylishly rendered, it is unobtrusive, stealing no attention from Donohoe.

– Val Bennion