Olivier awardwinning actress sheridan smith stars in the title role of brian friels adaptation of ibsens seminal work, hedda gabler. Railing against a life of crippling convention she cuts through the lives of everyone in her orbit. Mackmin attended the central school of speech and drama, studying acting. She toys with the lives of others because she has been unfairly robbed of control of her own. Mackmin s sister, scarlett mackmin, is a choreographer also working in the london theatre. Anna mackmin returns to the old vic to direct oliver awardwinner sheridan smith in this major new production of ibsens masterpiece. The american monthly magazine for expats and visitors in. Last chance to see hedda gabler henrik ibsen in a version by brian friel directed by anna mackmin starring sheridan smith brian friels adaptation of ibsens seminal work, hedda gabler, directed by anna mackmin and starring sheridan smith will end. Hedda gabler is a fantastically dynamic lead role and you feel both sympathy and aversion to her at the same time. He turned his attentions to ibsens hedda gabler in 2008, an adaption which.
Brian friels adaptation of the seminal work reveals a play as fresh and shocking as when it was originally written played out swiftly over 24 hours, ibsens startlingly resonant play is a thrilling portrayal of the freespirited hedda gabler. Old vic anna mackmin directs brian friels adaptation of ibsens classic piece for the old vic. Hedda is at times a lonely victim of circumstance, at others a manipulative, cruel and vindictive contrivance of a woman. Despite this part often being called the female hamlet, smith excels under anna mackmin s direction. Twotime olivier awardwinner sheridan smith returns to the london stage to play the title role in brian friels adaptation of hedda gabler, henrik ibsens masterpiece about the conflicting requirements of society and the individual directed by anna mackmin. Brian friels adaptation of ibsens seminal work, hedda gabler, will open at the old vic tonight, 12 september.
Hedda gabler study guide from litcharts the creators of. Adrian was longlisted for the 2012 evening standard theatre awards for his performance. The tesman house in a fashionable part of the city. I hadnt read hedda gabler before i was offered the part. Like iago, hedda is egotistical, sadistic, and deceptive, and, to some minds, both characters are. Smith adeptly plays the often externally masculine role, whilst balancing the characters truthfulness with expressive emotion. However, all the classic bourgeois securities of fidelity, possessions and income begin to sway precariously, shaken further by hedda s puppetmasterlike control. Anna mackmin whose atmospheric production of hedda gabler took my breath away. Anna mackmin wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Brian friels adaptation of the seminal work reveals a play as fresh and shocking as when it was originally written played out swiftly over 24 hours, ibsens startlingly resonant play is a thrilling portrayal of the freespirited hedda gabler sheridan smith.
In the gynaecological oddity hysteria she plays a cheeky former prostitute employed by victorian surgeons to test the prototype of a vibrator to provide orgasms for troubled middleclass housewives. Sheridan smith and anna mackmin on hedda gabler telegraph. Anna mackmin returns to the old vic to direct this major new production of ibsens masterpiece. A portrait of general gabler, a prominent military figure, hangs over a sofa.
She was an associate director at sheffield theatres under michael grandage and an associate at the gate theatre, london under thea sharrock. Hedda is a much celebrated role noted for its complexity and challenge, and it has been played by many a great actress in the past. The play opens on a september morning in norway, in the spacious, handsome drawing room where guests are received in the tesmans villa. Whilst smiths hedda is less harsh than previous interpretations, it remains an intense journey. Hedda gabler anna mackmin s strong cast make the mood swings between pain and laughter very clear, but the disconcerting result is that the evening is robbed of tension and engaging complexity. Smiths role in ibsens 19th century classic is the latest step in a remarkable career that has combined stage. Played out over just 24 hours, hedda is a thrilling portrayal of a freespirited young woman played by sheridan smith two pints of lager, legally blondethe musical fighting convention who cuts through the lives of everyone in her. She has been an associate director at the sheffield crucible and at the gate theatre in london. Anna mackmin director di and viv and rose ran in the vaudeville theatre, west end earlier this year, starring tamzin outhwaite, samantha spiro and jenna russell. Hedda gabler is not my favourite ibsen play but i am grateful to have seen sheridan smiths tightly drawn complex antiheroine, smiling her increasingly uncomfortable smiles. The corruption that she had hoped to spare him from when sending him away from the influence of his depraved father has in fact infected. In 1890, henrik ibsen premiered hedda gabler, a play questioning the role of women in victorian society.
Anna mackmin directs brian friels adaptation of ibsens classic piece for the. Anna mackmin, who declares that smith is a great actress. The performers builtin appeal is being harnessed in a calculated bid to counter the prejudice. But her unthespy demeanour and penchant for comedy roles raised reasonably fair questions over whether she was up to ibsens titanic hedda gabler. Hedda gabler is often cited as one of the greatest female dramatic roles in theatre. His mothers delight at having him home soon turns to horror and grief. The honeymoonfresh couple hedda gabler sheridan smith and jorgen tesman adrian scarborough have moved into a large new life. Hedda gabler 2012 west end tickets, news, info, photos. I hadnt read hedda gabler before i was offered the part, and anna mackmin.
Trevor nunn jackson hedda tesman royal shakespeare company rsc. Although the social dramas of his prose period depict fullbodied and believable characters, ibsen achieved a psychological depth in hedda gabler that his later works never surpassed. It starts sluggishly and contains a few underpowered sequences. The action is at times accompanied with an ominous movielike sound score. Anna mackmin s production at the old vic focuses heavily on hedda s sense of entrapment. Some audiences have viewed gabler as a woman driven to desperation simply because her world has turned out to be less charmed than she hoped. She was an associate director at sheffield theatres under michael. Dominic cavendish talks to sheridan smith and anna mackmin, star and director of a new production of ibsens hedda gabler.
Directed by anna mackmin, hedda gabler is the seminal play about the conflict between the requirements of society and those of the individual, which remains startlingly relevant to this day. Played out over 24 hours, ibsens classic follows the freespirited hedda gabler who chooses to rally against a life of crippling convention. Sheridan smith and anna mackmin on hedda gabler dominic cavendish talks to sheridan smith and anna mackmin, star and director of a new production of ibsens hedda gabler. This isnt to say that anna mackmins thoughtful production is ideal. The play takes us into a doomed marriage between hedda, a brilliant and eccentric depressive, and george tesman, a dullas cheesecake university lecturer. Anna mackmin s staging is particularly good at creating an atmosphere of nervous unease. I hadnt read hedda gabler before i was offered the part and anna mackmin rang from english 111 at john tyler community college. Here, the role is taken by smith, perhaps not the obvious choice in a lot of peoples minds, but the casting works surprisingly well. Hedda gabler was published in copenhagen on december 16, 1890. Hedda gabler is particularly indebted to shakespeares plays othello and antony and cleopatra, for ibsens portrait of hedda draws on the character of the devilish iago in the former and the melodramatic, charismatic cleopatra in the latter. Having investigated the feminine character in a maleoriented society in a dolls house, ibsen enlarged his scrutiny to encompass the full. The old vic directed by anna mackmin produced by na played out swiftly over 24 hours, ibsens startlingly resonant play is a thrilling portrayal of the freespirited hedda gabler. She had never come across hedda gabler until old vic artistic director kevin spacey and director anna mackmin urged her to take the role.
This was the first of ibsens plays to be translated from proofsheets and published in england and america almost simultaneously with its first appearance in scandinavia. She has been an associate director at the sheffield crucible and at the gate theatre in london early life and education. This production at the old vic showcases this wonderful play with finesse. Marthe brandes, who played the part at the vaudeville theatre, paris, on december 17, 1891, the performance being introduced by a lecture by.
Currently the theatrical toast of london for her hedda gabler at the old vic, sheridan smith is the best thing in two new british films this week. I bsens hedda was once described as a hoop through which every aspiring female actor must jump. The earliest theatrical performance took place at the residenz theater, munich, on the last day of january. Written in 1890, hedda gabler is a high point in ibsens creative life. Brian friel, irish theatre, hedda gabler, adaptation, ireland. Ibsens hedda is a passionate, vigorous, manipulative and at times malevolent force of nature. Anna mackmin directs olivier awardwinning sheridan smith in a major new production of ibsens hedda gabler which opens tonight at the old vic theatre, london. Directed by anna mackmin, this major new production will star olivier awardwinning. Subscribe to our free email updates with a note from editor elyse sommer about additions to the website with main page hot links to the latest features posted at our.
1596 1308 721 1367 1198 1472 473 300 681 183 362 17 761 992 1239 142 1499 491 652 783 269 1262 1597 551 709 886 314 119 755 852 452 407 167 947 1463 1470 344 716