REVIEW: Shooting Hedda Gabler
- Grace Wilson
- 3d
- 2 min read
When the lines between artistry and the roles we play are blurred, anything can happen. Disasters usually, as the genre suggests, and Secret House Co’s Shooting Hedda Gabler is no exception to this idea. A tight 120 minute work, carried by some incredible leading performances and excellent set design, it’s a work that makes you question what it means to find the truth in
your art.
Jennifer Rani plays Hedda, the American actress flown to Norway who ends up becoming Hedda
in mind, body and soul. An incredible and resounding performance that carried the work from
start to finish. Her decline to madness is beyond believable, it’s almost horrifying how well it’s
executed. Opposite Rani is James Smithers as Henrik whose performance becomes more
confronting as the work progresses. Smithers managed to balance the desire for art and the
ulterior motives Henrik has as the obsessed film director remarkably well, and the characters
lack of humanity was emphasised by Smithers’s choices. Matthew Abotomey plays Jörgen, a
well rounded and sometimes comedic performance of someone who wishes for their own
chance in the sun. Jane Angharad plays Berta, a grounded performance that really hit the
moments of sensitivity and quiet the play needs. Alpha Sylla plays Ejlert, a charming and
intoxicating performance which only unsettled when he reappears later on in the work after
disappearing. Lib Campbell rounds out the leading cast as Thea, the comedic relief of the play
and one of the most charming and hilarious performances I’ve seen in a while.
Special mention should be made for Patrick Klavins’s work as dialect coach. Accents were well
delivered and barely faltered throughout the work, only increasing the sense of immersion for
the piece and Hedda’s outcast nature from the group of Norwegians.
Set design by James Smithers was the standout part of this production. Functional and well
executed, having us see the inside of the cast trailers, the shoot location and then also live feed
was a wonderful choice. I only wish the live feed cameras were utilised than the two times it was
probably maneuvered and set up, engaged with properly.
The script itself is repetitive and performances sat on the same level to really make Hedda’s
descent into madness evident and horrifying. The ending felt off kilter and the final image of
Hedda’s death felt almost manufactured and a little too perfect. It didn’t feel cathartic like it was
meant to be, it just fell flat. But maybe that’s the point of the work, that everything to Henrik and
the world around these shows keeps on moving. He’s heartless and relentless, the show must
go on at any cost, including life.
Shooting Hedda Gabler is not a comedy nor a lovely night out. It’s squeamish, it’s rough, it’s
confronting and harrowing in all the wonderful ways theatre should be. A tight cast, great accent
work and a versatile set help make this production once well worth seeing.
Shooting Hedda Gabler plays at the Seymour Centre 11-27th of June.
