Everyone remembers their first time and I was lucky enough to have my first experience with the wonderful actress, Lindsay Duncan.
Seeing Hedda Gabler, I’m talking about – what did you think I meant?
This was another midweek theatre visit with Bobbie, during that brief period of a few months when I was between qualifying and moving on to my next, fully-fledged career.
I rated this experience as “very good” in my log and why not? Lindsay Duncan as Hedda, Jonathan Coy as Tesman, Dermot Crowley as Lovborg…
…here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this production.
Most unusually, I have been to see this play with Janie on (at the time of writing) three further occasions. I guess that Lindsay Duncan as Hedda is a bit like a highly addictive drug – you keep chasing that first high, hoping to experience it again. In truth, it did take us a while to land a really good production; the one at the Almeida in 2005 – all to be written up in future Ogblogs.
But back in October 1988, I was already a bit of an Ibsen fan and for sure was really taken with this production. Trevor Nunn had a hand in it, apparently…
..who’d have thought, back then in 1988, that I’d end up meeting Trevor Nunn socially a few years later? Another matter for another Ogblog piece.
Below is Nicholas de Jongh’s Guardian review:
de Jongh on Hedda Mon, Oct 17, 1988 – 21 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Below is Michael Ratcliffe’s short review in the Observer:
Ratcliffe on Hedda Sun, Oct 23, 1988 – 40 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com