REVIEW

Hedda Gabler Salisbury Playhouse until April 2

Brain Friel's version of Ibsen's tragedy Hedda Gabler, directed by Gareth Machin, provided enthralling entertainment for the first night audience at Salisbury Playhouse, where it runs until April 2.

The sumptuous set, designed by James Button, hints at the chill Nordic climate, and incorporates an anteroom dominated by a portrait of Hedda's illustrious forebear.

Kirsty Bushell, as the headstrong, wilful, self-centred Hedda, who views her long honeymoon with George Tesman as six months of unrelenting boredom, has scant patience with her husband's warm affection for his aunts, who have idolised him since childhood. Ben Caplan, as the dull academic George, has been so absorbed in study and research for a book, that he seems oblivious to a lack of intimacy in his marriage to Hedda.

David Bark-Jones, excellent as Judge Brack, enjoys mild flirtation with Hedda, who keeps him at arm's length. Kemi-Bo Jacobs plays her childhood friend Thea Elvstead, who has an unhappy marriage. Thea has collaborated with Eilert Loewborg (Damian Humbley), on a new, serious book that is certain to rival any work by George Tesman. Jane Wymark (familiar as Joyce Barnaby in TV's Midsomer Murders) is charming as George's aunt, Juliana Tesman, who is excited at the prospect of a new chapter in the family history - and unaware that Hedda does not want children. A book, too, may be regarded as a baby, so who but an unhinged person would destroy it? Petra Markham as the maid, Bertha, completes the cast

The interplay of characters, the inherent dangers of jealousy, alcoholism and deception combine to fuel the ultimate tragedy. Stylish costumes and props reflect the period - the late 1890s, and the presence of pistols, the late General's prized relics, inevitably ensure the tragic denouement.