Hedda Gabler is one of the most famous characters in the world of theater - an icon created by Henrik Ibsen. Here, this deeply psychological game is transformed into a chamber ballet, created by director Marit Moum Aune and performed by Nils Petter Molvær.

It became clear, when Marit Moum Aune produced a dance version of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts in 2015, that combining her theatre director’s eye with the talents of the Norwegian National Ballet could bring the renowned Norwegian playwright’s work into another dimension. She confirms this in her latest production, Hedda Gabler, a work of searing intensity.

In using the eponymous heroine’s maiden name, Ibsen makes clear that Hedda is her father’s daughter, a product of the aristocratic military class, rather than her husband’s wife. Aune’s opening tableau, shows the child Hedda being shown how to aim a pistol by her proud father, (Christian Alm). The scene switches seamlessly to the adult Hedda who joins enthusiastically in the soldiers’ military exercises. Raised with the freedom of a boy, she is soon to experience the unwelcome restrictions imposed on a woman.

This is unquestionably Hedda’s show and in Grete Sofie Borud Nybakken, Aune has found a remarkable interpreter. Tall and blonde; a veritable Nordic goddess, she appears naked for a brief scene and sends testosterone levels rocketing. But it is the character’s interesting and imperfect interior, rather than her perfect body, that makes the evening memorable. Her face set in a mould of haughty aristocratic languor, her emotion is articulated through her powerful, hyperflexible body, her feet fiercely pointed like weapons at the ready.

Hedda does not have the clear thinking and logic of Ibsen’s other great heroine, Nora, in The Doll’s House. Hedda is an existentialist: she has created her trajectory and must fulfil her destiny. Like that other ballet enigma, Cocteau’s Death in Le Jeune Homme, she just is. Hedda functions at the extremes of an emotional continuum. In her duet with Judge Brack (Shane Urton), an equally dystopian character, her emotions switch from animalistic lust to visible disgust at his touch with no space for womanly empathy or warmth.

Each of the four men is a finely drawn character. Kristian Alm, as her father, the defining influence, is a background figure but casts a long shadow. The tragic Eilert Løvborg, played by Silas Henriksen has the air of careless youth, but also the foolhardiness. Aune has created a tingling duet of early love between him and Hedda which glowed with innocence in contrast to their damaged adult relationship. Of all the men in her life it is Tesman, her husband, played by bespectacled Philip Currell, who strangely seems least affected by her callous behaviour. Like the holy fool, his bookish nature seems to offer him a protective shield.

The choreography is credited to Aune, assisted by Christopher Kettner, Kaloyan Boyadjiev and the lead dancers and the rich creative input has invested each scene, especially the duets, with acute subtlety and invention. While the structure of the material and focus of the text bears Aune’s authorial voice, each dancer’s investment in the creation of the characters, gives a dramatic potency that is rare and wonderful to experience.

Direction: Marit Moum Aune (Director & Choreography)
Cast: Norwegian National Ballet, Hedda Gabler: Grete Sofie Borud Nybakken, Aunt Julie: Samantha Lynch, Eilert Løvborg: Silas Henriksen, General Gabler: Kristian Alm, Jørgen Tesman: Philip Currell, Assessor Brack: Shane Urton, Thea Elvsted: Eugenie Skilnand, Diana: Klara Mårtensson