Theatre Review - HEDDA GABLER - THE WITHAM, BARNARD CASTLE

The Cast of Hedda Gabler, photo credit Helen Brown

Susannah Handley as Hedda Gabler, photo credit Helen Brown

The Castle Players are no strangers to growing with their audiences and developing their amazing talent within the group. A few years ago, they began to develop the direction of productions with ‘Journey’s End’ allowing a first-time director to take the reins under the mentoring of an established director. This year it was Libby Harding under the mentoring of Laurence Sach who was given the opportunity to direct, her bold choice being Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in this new version by Patrick Marber set in 1925.

Hedda, Susannah Handley, has just returned from her honeymoon with her new husband Jorgen Tesman, Cal Baker. As they begin to settle into their new home and Hedda looks towards a life of boredom and domesticity Tesman’s academic rival, Eilvert Lovborg, Oliver Smith appears. Lovberg is a recovering alcoholic and former love interest of Hedda and his presence unsettles everyone. This gives Hedda the opportunity to grasp for her old life as her husband’s friend Judge Brack, Ben Pearson, observes their lives from the side. Thea, Phoebe Lorenz, is working closely with Lovberg and Hedda sees this as an opportunity to come between them. The rest of the cast includes Aunt Juliana, Heather Armstrong, and the straight-faced maid Berte, Isobel Harvey.

Susannah Handley as Hedda Gabler and Ben Pearson as Brack, photo credit Helen Brown

Phoebe Lorenz as Thea, Ben Pearson as Brack
and Cal Baker as Tesman,
photo credit Helen Brown 

The cast certainly had a full understanding of their characters, which is a credit to their director. Make no mistake this an incredibly dark story, which requires an in depth understanding of the characters to create this to the full effect.  Susannah Handley was amazing as Hedda, she is clearly bored and uninspired by the life her future holds and desperately tries to cling onto the past, her mind is complex, creating a vulnerable yet explosive character.  This is clearly a role many women would love the chance to play and Susannah has grabbed the opportunity showing what a star The Castle Players have. Phoebe shows a nervous innocence in Thea, showing her fear of Hedda from past encounters, I look forward to seeing Phoebe’s performances in the future. Cal Baker’s portrayal of Tesman has a sense of frivolity and no awareness of Hedda’s feelings which contrasted well to Ben Pearson’s Brack, whose deviousness is apparent. Oliver Smith’s Lovberg showed a man on the edge. Heather Armstrong’s portrayal of Aunt Juliana perfectly creates the woman we all want in our lives.

The set by Ben Pearson and Laurence Sach, costumes by Lesley Cutting, sound and lighting by Vaughan Freeman and make up by Jane Naseby perfectly compliment this wonderfully dark production.

There are many elements of this story which can be related to the world today, Ibsen, an immense talent of his day and the future. How this links into the world today is up to the audience to decide, sometimes theatre doesn’t just entertain, it encourages you to think.