Hedda ★★★★ Orange Tree Theatre | Oct 18 - Nov 22, 2025


In her adaptation of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, Tanika Gupta largely follows the original narrative while introducing a new element: Hedda is portrayed as an Anglo-Indian film star who must conceal her origins due to pervasive racism in society and the movie industry. This reimagined aspect draws on the career of Merle Oberon, a film icon of the late 1930s and early 1940s who was only later revealed to be of mixed-race parentage. To succeed in Hollywood, Oberon claimed to be from Tasmania and often asserted Armenian heritage. In Gupta's version, Hedda remains Ibsen's bored, desperate woman who capriciously inflicts pain on those around her, but her motivations are expanded. She struggles not only with the constraints imposed on women by society, but also with the prejudice of a world that would never accept a mixed-race film star. The play is filled with the characters' casual racist remarks and an unmistakable colonial condescension, creating an atmosphere that illuminates Hedda's bitter sense of entrapment and her distorted pursuit of authenticity. Hettie Macdonald directs the production in the exaggerated style of a 1940s film, evoking memories of Bette Davis in Now, Voyager or Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven. Pearl Chanda portrays the femme fatale role with icy precision with Joe Bannister providing the perfect counterpart to her headstrong Hedda as the chipper, deferential husband, George. Bebe Cave is just right as the classic innocent blonde, and Milo Twomey is excellent as the mustachioed manipulator John Brack. Rina Fatania also puts in a convincing performance as the maid/mother to Hedda who is the cynical realist voicing the play’s harsh truths. Early in the production, she quotes Tagore on the spiritual corruption caused by lies, a remark that frames the web in which eventually all the characters are shown to be ensnared. Through this reconceiving of Ibsen's classic, Tanika Gupta brilliantly crafts a layered work of nostalgia which has themes that remain timeless.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Helen Murray

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 1 Clarence St, Richmond TW9 2SA, UK

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