Great Gabler

One of my all-time, favorite plays ever written is Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen is one of the great contributors to the art of theatre. He is a Norwegian playwright who lived between 1828 and 1906. His famous canon includes the titles: Peer Gynt, A Doll's House, Ghosts, and The Master Builder, just to name a few. For theatre scholars, he ranks along with other masters such as Shakespeare, Chekhov, and the Greeks.

I had the chance to see Hedda this past week at the National Theatre and was not disappointed. The original play is written in Norwegian so, when a production is done in English a translation must be created. Typically a translation of a play, especially classics, is more than just a direct conversion. An English-speaking playwright usually takes on the project working with a literal translation of the words in the text. The playwright crafts the literal into a more poetic delivery for the stage. The story stays the same and the playwright usually tries to keep ahold of symbolism and metaphors in the language set forth by the original writer but, rearrangements of sentences for better flow is often needed. There is an art to the "translation" of a play. Often times the word "translation" isn't even used. Sometimes "adaptation" or "version" is used, which refers to the craft of refining a play script and not just exchanging the words between the languages.

On Thursday, I had the privilege of seeing a new version of Hedda Gabler by Patrick Marber. Marber is an accomplished, modern, British playwright and has also penned screenplays such as; Closer (from his stage play) and Notes on a Scandal. His version of Hedda was absolutely exceptional. It was clean and concise and perfectly distilled for the modern audience.

The play was directed by multi-awarding winning, Belgian sensation Ivo van Hove. Hove's recent works include; Lazarus  (London- West End, currently running), The Crucible (Broadway, 2016) and A View From the Bridge (Broadway, 2015/16; London-Young Vic, 2015). Hove's direction was truly inspired. The use of space and props to enhance and punctuate the storytelling were brilliant. The design was contemporary, leaving the traditional bustle skirts behind and giving way to a minimalist set and ingenious use of light and sound. The two stand out performances where Ruth Wilson in the role of Hedda and Rafe Spall in the role Brack. These two made deliciously disturbing music together on stage and shed new light on a story and characters I thought I knew like the back of my hand. I went certain I would enjoy the play but beyond that, I was unexpectedly and delightfully surprised. It was an excellent afternoon.

The coming days are crunch time for me. With the deadline for the first section of my thesis quickly approaching, I will be buried in the writing of it. If I feel secure enough, I may escape to another show this week. However, I must see how close to completion I get.

Until next week-
Take care!
-m