Hedda and George have just returned from their honeymoon, but when her former lover Eilert appears with a brilliant new manuscript, George’s hopes for a professorship are dimmed. Hedda’s desperate dissatisfaction with her life leads to dangerous choices in this startling portrait of a woman hell-bent on destruction.
Recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in June 2019.
Directed by Debbie Devine
Producing Director Susan Albert Loewenberg
Josh Bitton as Eilert Lovborg
JD Cullum as George Tesman
Gregory Harrison as Judge Brack
Shannon Holt as Aunt Julie Tesman
Elizabeth Ruscio as Berta
Jocelyn Towne as Hedda Gabler
Karen Malina White as Mrs. Thea Elvsted
Associate Artistic Director: Anna Lyse Erikson
Recording Engineer, Sound Designer, Mixer: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin
Foley Artist: Brian Wallace
Production Manager: Elena Cruz
Editor: Neil Wogenson
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"Hedda is kind of a stuck-up, manipulative, hopelessly romantic to the point of nihilistic woman, with an unsubsidizable pride and exaggerated sense of aestheticism. This is an extremely difficult character to portray that when I read the script, I just love Hedda and in some way see myself in her but when seeing it onstage she was such a bitch I just needed to punch her on the face 8-}. Anyways, the character's ambiguity and openness to interpretation is precisely what to love I guess"
— Linh (4 out of 5 stars)
" I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT WOULD END LIKE THAT! "
— Bayan, 2/18/2014" This was a wonderful start to my senior year in college. The story was very frustrating but intriguing. I loved that I couldn't put it down and had to read in one straight sitting. It will make u think! "
— Betsy, 2/11/2014" This is an interesting play, at first I wasn't 100% sure I liked it but the more I've thought about it the more intriguing it has become. Hedda is the main character (some call her the female Hamlet)who is very newly married but not very happy about it. She goes to great lengths to disrupt the lives of those around her. She is a very complex charater and depending on your take she could be a villian, heroine fighting society, or a victim of circumstance. "
— Dawn, 2/3/2014" Can't exactly say why it was disappointing, but it didn't really seem to be *about* anything. And it was slow, and just did not do much for me. I might still try other Ibsen plays, though. "
— Daniel, 2/3/2014" 3 1/2 Stars. After the minute details of the plot faded and the imagined setting became hazy, the personality that is Hedda stayed with me. Although I found her near psychotically manipulative, something about her--perhaps the blatancy of the cage society holds her in--struck a deep emotional chord with me. "
— Angélique, 2/2/2014" i like reading plays with friends! "
— hmmm, 1/31/2014" Worst play I've ever read. Terribly conceived; poorly executed. "
— Geoffrey, 1/29/2014" Ha! Great story. Going to see the play in a few weeks. I bet Ibsen had a ball writing this. "
— Thing, 1/27/2014" Hedda Gabler is one of those characters many would find easier to hate than love, or even be indifferent to. She is a manipulative bitch, to put it lightly. But somehow, towards the end, Hedda managed to garner sympathy from this reader. She was an ambitious woman who was trapped in the life she had crafted for herself. She could have made better choices but she didn't and the conclusion left me with the bitter aftertaste of regret for what she could have been. "
— Ann, 1/25/2014" I love Hedda. My favorite Ibsen. "
— Isabella, 1/19/2014" Stylistically it's a bit dated but still interesting. "
— Linda, 1/18/2014" Well, I couldn't imagine a more vindictive and manipulative woman than Hedda Gabler. The audacity of Hedda certainly keeps you riveted. "
— Jamie, 1/18/2014" Tragic drama. It's actually a playwright which has been made into a quick book. "
— Megan, 1/18/2014" I don't remember much about it. "
— Anita, 1/16/2014" Didn't connect to the characters as much as A Doll House, making it emotionally not as tugging. IN the end, I could intellectually understand the motives and see the messages, but I didn't feel them as much as I have in Ibsen's other plays. "
— Brian, 1/13/2014" WOW! I just read this for a class and I must say I am impressed. Ibsen has a twisted mind and I love it! I wish this had been my first introduction to him. It is a fantastic read. When you think it's getting a little dull or slow just push on because everything in the end works and and will surprise the hell out of you. It did me. "
— Sara, 1/12/2014" Too many real-life parallels here. The desire of wanting to break/manipulate stupid people...alas, I don't have Hedda's heart. Like every female actress, I'd like to play her. "
— Apoorva, 1/6/2014" Too many real-life parallels here. The desire of wanting to break/manipulate stupid people...alas, I don't have Hedda's heart. Like every female actress, I'd like to play her. "
— Apoorva, 12/30/2013" Living vIcariously in the worst way. A villain and a heroin. Histrionic and bipolar. A survivor of his own times. Read Hedda Gabler "
— Bruno, 12/10/2013" Once again I learned that bored bourgeois women left to their own devices...somehow always end up doing extremely selfish and inhumane things. BESTPLAYEVER! "
— Michelle, 12/7/2013" I thought it was interesting. I understood Hedda's point of view and hoped she would be content in her life. I do understand why she killed herself yet I still didn't like the ending. "
— Meghan, 12/5/2013" I thought it was an okay play, but it did contain alot of information that needed to be found by reading inbetween the lines. "
— CJ, 11/28/2013" I love Hedda. My favorite Ibsen. "
— Isabella, 11/26/2013" This was stunning. I was impressed with the execution. The author is a genius. Exactly the right information is portrayed perfectly along the way, some foreshadowing. Amazing. "
— Kimberley, 11/24/2013" I think I read this book for school of some kind. I do remember liking it as a feminist statement of an independent woman. "
— Needleroozer, 11/10/2013" Another of my favorite plays. "
— Kari, 11/10/2013" Ha! Great story. Going to see the play in a few weeks. I bet Ibsen had a ball writing this. "
— Thing, 10/11/2013" Although the play has some horrific themes, the characters are incredibly complex and interesting. I couldn't help but like this play! "
— Corriebiesecker, 9/27/2013" I think I read this book for school of some kind. I do remember liking it as a feminist statement of an independent woman. "
— Needleroozer, 8/27/2013" Florence wrote in her diary, "Read Hedda Gabler for the tenth time." I read this while writing The Red Leather Diary, but not ten times! "
— Lily, 8/11/2013" Any play that ends with the heroine shooting herself in the head deserves a good review! "
— Ashley, 6/1/2013" this is a good play. I recommend it. I even laughed a couple of times! (not a comedy though) "
— Sebas, 5/6/2013" Hedda Gabler's by Ibsen is an interesting play, Hedda is an evil, awful woman but I guess she got this way due to never learning how to care about anything, or anyone other than herself. the ending explain how miserable her life was that she did not even second guess killing herself "
— Shuruq, 3/22/2013" Florence wrote in her diary, "Read Hedda Gabler for the tenth time." I read this while writing The Red Leather Diary, but not ten times! "
— Lily, 3/17/2013" Read this in HS, made me want to vomit. Still makes me slightly nauseous when I think about it now... "
— Becky, 2/23/2013" I remember not liking this very much. Ibsen was, and is, a mystery to me. "
— Hayes, 2/16/2013" One of my favorite playwrites and one of my favorite plays "
— Irene, 1/14/2013" Meh. Liked it better when I saw it. "
— Casey, 1/11/2013" Finally, an Ibsen story that doesn't use the word "Pooh!" "
— Joe1207, 9/15/2012" One of my favorite female characters ever, call me evil, I'm not gonna change my opinion about Hedda. I find her amazing -and that little devilishness only adds up to her greatness. "
— Golnoosh, 8/26/2012" Unusual play that might be even more interesting viewed. "
— JoAnn, 7/19/2012" Hedda Gabler is without doubt one of the most striking heroines ever written. "
— Ceren, 7/14/2012" Alright. A good example of naturalism, maybe takes a few reads to get into. Characters are hard to delve into, but quite interesting after some investigation. "
— Molly, 5/15/2012" A very powerful, dramatic story of what it means to be a woman in the nineteenth century and the outcome of some of our actions. A brilliant play indeed. "
— Omar, 4/17/2012" It was a good play. I definitely prefer Ibsen over Chekov. "
— Emma, 3/28/2012" This is just about the best play ever written, in my opinion. I read it first in college, then later I taught it in my Advanced Placement classes, as an English teacher in a California school. Don't miss this one! "
— Betty, 3/11/2012" This was sort of like an episode of Desperate Housewives. Just imagine some crazy broad who lived about 100 years ago making all of her firends and nieghbors miserable and that's what this is. "
— Jeremy, 3/4/2012" Tragic drama. It's actually a playwright which has been made into a quick book. "
— Megan, 1/24/2012" I just don't like her. "
— Amber, 1/8/2012" I wasn't able to maintain interest in, finish or retain a lot of what I read as a drug-addled freshman, but this play really stood out to me as one I couldn't put down. It was really good, and very painful (I think she burns a manuscript?) and it makes me want to read more Ibsen now that I'm sober. "
— Andrew, 8/11/2011" Read Ibsen. That is all. "
— Maureen, 7/14/2011" I passionately despise the main character of this play. "
— Carlie, 5/27/2011" i had to read that book for an assignment at the university.. i found it interesting and somehow bold for the time written.. i don't know if i liked Hedda's character a lot.. and from what i remember ( i read it last year) it kind of reminds me of Jane Austen's type of books.. good book though.. "
— Pola, 4/28/2011" Characters very complex - not often you find yourself disliking someone yet sympathising with a character like I did with Hedda "
— Alex, 4/5/2011" Im so confused with Hedda...she comes across as such a cold-hearted, stuck-up, rude prima donna and then she does what she does at the end...and I cant figure out what exactly was the cause. Other than she being extremely unhappy and insane. Ahh Ibsen, explain thy self. "
— Sandie, 3/9/2011" This chic has got balls...Hedda is a "mind ninja"...to quote Mary Molly from my AP English class and OH! does she love her guns! "
— Lynn, 2/25/2011" Alright. A good example of naturalism, maybe takes a few reads to get into. Characters are hard to delve into, but quite interesting after some investigation. "
— Molly, 12/21/2010" Love it!<br/>"Female Hamlet" is surely stronger than Hamlet himself... or so I think~ "
— Straycat, 12/10/2010" This was sort of like an episode of Desperate Housewives. Just imagine some crazy broad who lived about 100 years ago making all of her firends and nieghbors miserable and that's what this is. "
— Jeremy, 12/1/2010" It was so weird...I couldn't understand the main character at all. But it was interesting. "
— Rebecca, 11/13/2010" I thought it was an okay play, but it did contain alot of information that needed to be found by reading inbetween the lines. "
— Cjlouis, 10/21/2010" Love the spirited piece. Read the play and did not hear the audio CD "
— Diana, 10/12/2010
Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) was a major nineteenth-century Norwegian playwright, theater director, and poet. He is often referred to as “the father of prose drama” and is one of the founders of modernism in the theater. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll’s House, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, and The Master Builder. Several of his plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when European theater was required to model strict mores of family life and propriety. Ibsen’s work examined the realities that lay behind many façades, revealing much that was disquieting to many contemporaries. It utilized a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality.
Martin Jarvis, OBE, has recorded more than 150 Just William stories for the BBC. These have become international audio bestsellers. He won the Theatre World Award for his starring role on Broadway in By Jeeves; his West End appearances include works by Ayckbourn, Frayn, Pinter, and Wilde. Screen successes include everything from Stargate Atlantis, Doctor Who, and Numb3rs to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Oscar-winning Titanic.
JD Jackson is a theater professor, aspiring stage director, and award-winning audiobook narrator. He is a classically trained actor, and his television and film credits include roles on House, ER, Law & Order, Hack, Sherrybaby, Diary of a City Priest, and Lucky Number Slevin. He is the recipient of more than a dozen Earphones Awards for narration and an Odyssey Honor for G. Neri’s Ghetto Cowboy, and he was also named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year for 2012 and 2013. An adjunct professor at Los Angeles Southwest College, he has an MFA in theater from Temple University.