Hedda Gabler
By Henrik Ibsen

24th-27th September 2008
University of Sheffield Drama Studio, Sheffield

Cast:
Zoe English
Philip Ashton
David Reid
Greer Blaise Furniss-Coates
Will Bird
Jill McKenna
Lara Bundock

Translated by Michael Meyer

Produced by Will Bird, Lara Bundock and Jenny Careless

Directed by Will Bird and Julie Fancher
 

Next Best Thing returned to Ibsen after 13 years with this chilling and darkly comic telling of arguably his most famous play. Staying faithful to Ibsen's period and stage directions this was a truly uncompromising production. Zoe English won plaudits for her poised and sardonic Hedda, an ice-cool control freak on the edge of madness. Philip Ashton brought warmth and sincerity to his portrayal of Jorgen Tesman, the academic Hedda unwisely marries, and David Reid oozed charm and menace in the role of the blackmailing Judge Brack. Greer Furniss-Coates gave an astonishingly raw and affecting performance as Thea, the play's true feminist heroine, while Jill McKenna was a sympathetic Aunt Julianna. Will Bird was an angst-ridden Loevborg, and Lara Bundock made a sparky Bertha, the Tesmans' insubordinate maid. Here was a slice of authentic Ibsen without gimmicks, an enjoyable yet unsettling evening of pure theatre.

Production note for Hedda Gabler:
Directing Hedda Gabler        About Henrik Ibsen