Rose Theatre Kingston – until 21 October 2023
Reviewed by Carly Burlinge
4.5 ****
The Rose Theatre brings you Shooting Hedda Gabler written by Nina Segal and directed by Jeff James. It tells the story of an American actress (Antonia Thomas) who, after a traumatic incident regarding the paparazzi and a self driving Tesla, decides it’s time to get some closure when she gets offered a lead role in a Norwegian film. With Hollywood becoming to much for her to handle, with the amount of gossip circulating around her she decides to take her chances and head to Norway leaving everything behind her. Believing that she may have the new start that she desperately craves, she then finds herself thrown into a set where the director’s ways Henrik (Christian Rubeck) are very different to what she is used to. With his brutal fixation, need for control and obsession; always wanting more regarding his film. He doesn’t want her to play Hedda he wants her to be Hedda, pulling her into a world that suddenly seems surreal, with him using her own, real, raw emotions and personal pain to gain exactly what he wants for his production. As things become stranger by the minute, with a dark atmosphere enclosing her and her paronia beginning to kick in, she finds herself in a world where she can no longer tell fact from Fiction. Feeling very alone once again, not knowing how to escape from this nightmare of mind games and manipulation that she now finds herself in – “No matter where you go nothing changes, life only follows you!”.
Although this production was dark in places it also offered some comedic elements, especially In the form of Thea (Matilda Bailes), also an actor on the production, who made the audience laugh with the amount of skills she holds, popping up left, right and centre as the intimacy Co-ordinator, councillor and many more parts she manages to squeeze in. This making the audience laugh and giving them some relief from the darker elements of the story.
The set was done particularly well, on two levels with the film set at the bottom, makeup dressing room and bar upstairs. It was very stylish, in the classic, scandi, minimalistic style, cleverly set out and amazing to look at, very impressive.
Although this production is quite intense, it does offer the right amount of drama, alongside some light comedy giving the show a great balance for viewing. Definitely one to go and view.