Hedda Gabler
A towering edifice of a play
Nilgin Yusuf, London Pub Theatres
Why see Hedda Gabler?
Katie Holmes Stars In Ibsen's Classic Drama At The Old Globe
Film and theater star Katie Holmes takes on one of the greatest roles in modern drama in this fresh take on Ibsen's masterpiece, opening at the San Diego Old Globe in February 2026. Telling the story of an unhappily married woman who goes to unspeakable lengths to get some control, Hedda Gabler is a towering display of dramatic theater at its very best.
What Is The Story?
Hedda Gabler has just returned from her honeymoon with new husband, academic George. She's already getting bored. Feeling no love for him and worrying that she's signed her life away, things are about to be shaken up with the arrival of George's old rival, Eilart, along with his new partner. Driven by jealousy and a desperate bid for some form of control, Hedda makes a fateful decision - one that will derail Eilart's life, and may push Hedda beyond her sanity.
Key Information
Run Time
between 2 and 2.5 hours, including intermissions
Dates
Finished Mar 22
Reviews
Customer reviews
1 reviews, average rating: (5.0 Stars)
Alyssa
Brilliant and Haunting
I can’t watch this play from a distance as a modern woman—it’s impossible. Katie Holmes gave an extraordinary haunting performance. She portrayed, with remarkable clarity, the reality of being a thinkingw oman whose abilities had no room to fully exist in the 19th century.
Nora’s struggle is not confined to that era alone. What Ibsen exposed carried into the 20th century, and many would argue it still resonates in the 21st. After the performance, I overheard a woman say that Nora “wanted to be a man.” That interpretation misses the point entirely—
Nora doesn’t want to be a man. She wants to be a complete human being. The tragedy is that in the 19th century, the only roles available to women were narrow, restrictive, and infantilizing. Her frustration comes from being forced to live within those limits, not from a desire to cross into masculinity.
This production makes that truth impossible to ignore. It’s unsettling, resonant, and still urgently relevant—exactly as Ibsen intended. ... Read more
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