Hedda Gabler, written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in 1890 and often upheld as one of the strongest dramatic plays of all time, is considered to be a classic of realism. Ibsen, an iconic playwright often compared to Shakespeare, gave the world dramatic classics such as A Doll’s House, Peer Gynt and The Wild Duck and is known for his strong, iconoclastic and ahead-of-its-time portrayal of women.
Often referred to as the ‘Female Hamlet’, Hedda has struck a chord with audiences since the play was first performed over 100 years ago. Audiences across the globe have been shocked, scandalised and profoundly moved by both Ibsen’s play and the complexity of its characters.
The play opens with Hedda Gabler and her husband George Tesman, a scientist and aspiring professor, returning from their honeymoon. Hedda seems bored with her marriage already; we are given to understand that she married Tesman not out of love but out of desperation.
A distraction appears in the form of her past lover, the brilliant and dissolute Eilert Lovborg, who is also a rival of her husband’s for a coveted academic post. The story unfolds over Hedda’s plotting to divest Lovborg of his original research, which may help her husband get the post. A dark cloud hangs over the proceedings, and the audience waits for the denouement — which can only end in tragedy — breathlessly.
One of the most riveting dramatic plays ever, Hedda Gabler has enthralled audiences wherever it has been performed, and has attracted a string of top-notch actresses to essay Hedda’s role.
Popular actresses like Eleanora Duse, Alla Nazimova, Eva Le Gallienne and the inimitable Ingrid Bergman have played Hedda on screen. Others who have played Hedda on stage include Harriet Walter and Cate Blanchett, who won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor for the play in 2005.
Hedda Gabler is brought to Bangalore by the Gomber Education Foundation and is being staged by Just Theatre Production. It will run between February 12 and February 14 at Rangashankara, JP Nagar.
Tickets are available online at www.indianstage.in. Telebooking:+91 9886370614. Duration: 120 minutes, Language: English
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