REVIEW: Hedda Gabler on the Reading Rep

Reading Rep is celebrating its tenth anniversary of its formation and a second season in its new venue with some daring and unique variations of acquainted tales. After the wonderful success of a one-woman model of Jekyll and Hyde with the unimaginable Audrey Brisson and an intriguing resetting of Christmas Carol within the Huntley and Palmer Reading Biscuit manufacturing unit comes a contemporary adaptation of Hedda Gabler set someplace close to London. This risk-taking strategy to theatre mixed with a £10 ticket value for these beneath 30 seems to be participating the native communities and bringing a youthful excitable viewers into the venue which is to be celebrated and applauded.

It is just not helped by the curious setting, designed by Amy Watts, wherein the dilapidated previous home is depicted with partitions fabricated from discoloured plastic sheets round a front room with a ridiculous hearth pit within the centre of the room. As a end result, the solid are known as upon to step out and in of the pit all through or rigorously stroll round its edges. Perhaps there was some symbolic that means to once they stood within the pit, sat on the sting, or stepped as much as flooring degree however I missed it, and it proved a large distraction. Is Hedda meant to be drawing individuals into the damaging energy of the flames? Equally, Director Annie Kershaw’s resolution to stage three intimate interviews on the forestage utilizing hand microphones provides to the shortage of realism as if the conversations are imagined or are flashbacks and lessens the dramatic affect regardless of the revelations. Another of Ibsen’s characters, Aunt Julie, is seen solely in silhouette by way of the plastic whereas talking by way of her smartphone to George which proves a reasonably uninteresting dramatic machine. Some of the viewers clearly noticed this in another way as there was the occasional loud hysterical laughter in response to a few of this which had the impact of dissipating any rigidity within the relationships on stage.

The solid of 5 has to work very arduous to create any dramatic rigidity on this setting and solely sometimes do the characters join in a manner that appears plausible and divulges perception into their emotions. Anna Popplewell makes her stage debut as Hedda Gabler and conveys the boredom she feels close to her husband and shows merciless bitchy and ugly manipulative ideas however by no means reveals any ardour or want in the direction of any of the opposite characters. Jessica Temple as Isla fares higher and conveys her battle to regulate her alcoholism, her self-doubt, and her hidden passions nicely though does appear too able to be influenced by Hedda. Mark Desebrock as George, Ryan Gerald because the controlling Brack and Natalie Perera as Thea are known as on to disclose awkward rigidity of their relationships however endure from the staging and lack of realism.

The programme highlights the inventive crew’s want to point out LGBTQIA+ individuals as superb beings and to elucidate Hedda’s dissatisfaction along with her heterosexual marriage. It presents George as an obsessive researcher and creator who’s extra desirous about his subsequent manuscript than his spouse and Brack as a manipulative and controlling drive, however this fails to make us see Hedda as a sufferer or clarify why this could trigger Isla to behave as she does. Both Hedda and Isla appear to be clever and robust individuals which makes their destiny appears so misplaced.

Reading Rep is an thrilling adventurous firm which on restricted budgets is attracting well-experienced performers and pushing the boundaries of conventional theatre and conventional theatre audiences in daring and revolutionary programming. There is a post-show discuss on this newest manufacturing on ninth March which could provide some perception into this adaptation. Critical to its ongoing success is attracting adequate audiences from each the brand new demographics and conventional theatregoers and a part of that’s for each teams to know that what’s thrilling about reside theatre is being challenged, amused and engaged in equal measure. We have to just accept that you just don’t at all times reply to each new innovation in the identical manner, however we should always have fun the adventurous programming, the work and risk-taking of performers and creatives and benefit from the expertise of discovering reside theatre and their efforts.