The University of Oxford student company Peripeteia Productions' production of Lucy Kirkwood’s Hedda provides a compelling and grimly humorous account of boredom, restlessness, and grief. British playwright, Kirkwood, has adapted Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, taking it into twenty-first century Notting Hill. Hedda (India Opzoomer) has just come home from her honeymoon with her new husband, George (Finlay Stroud).
Although Ibsen’s classic play premiered in 1891, its revamping explores surprisingly modern themes. Hedda and George remark early on in the play how ‘blessed’ they are – to be together, in the flat of Hedda’s dreams, quietly expecting their future child, and with George about to take up an exciting new academic post. But the way the word ‘blessed’ is articulated is reminiscent of the Instagram hashtag, ‘#blessed’. On the pretty, filtered surface, their lives look close to perfect. But all these supposed blessings are much more complicated and far less certain than they seem.
Like Instagram, Hedda is obsessed with aesthetics – she needs things to be beautiful. At the same time, she’s unable to actually do anything. She calls herself ‘unemployable’ and can’t imagine a life where she even goes outside very much. Caught in complete inertia, she doesn’t seem to grasp the reality that she is really living a life. She’s not in a film or a photograph, but her pursuit of beauty seems to make her forget this. It’s a relevant exploration for all of us living in an image-driven world.
The production is assured and despite the rather depressing subject matter, the play is darkly funny. The cast is captivating. There are notable performances from India Opzoomer as a riveting Hedda, and Kate Weir as Hedda’s sister-in-law, Julia. The set design – particularly the LED lighting structure – works to hit home some of the play’s more emotional notes. Sound is also used effectively to enhance the disquieting mood of the play. A large amount of talent, consideration, and detail has gone into making Hedda an accomplished production.