Hedda Gabler and Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella Come to the Theatre Royal, Plymouth

The National Theatre’s Hedda Gabler will be playing at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth from 2nd to 7th October. Henrik Ibsen’s classic play is in a modern setting for this production which is now touring the UK after a sold out run in London.

The role of Hedda, sometimes referred to as ‘the female Hamlet’ and one of the greatest female dramatic parts, is played by Lizzy Watts. Written in the 1890s and set in Victorian Norway with all the social constraints on women that entails, the play explores the marriage between a beautiful aristocratic but manipulative and destructive Hedda and her middle-class, boring husband. Despite being written over a hundred years ago it remains a very modern play so it will be interesting to see it in its current-day setting.

I know it’s looking ahead a little but I was really excited to see that Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is on at the Theatre Royal early next year but only for a few days (30th January to 3rd February) and if there’s one thing I’d recommend seeing this has to be it – but book early because it will sell out. I saw Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty when it came to Plymouth and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen on stage. Everything about it was spectacular: it’s Gothic setting and story, the choreography, the dancing, the costumes, the set. Just exhilarating.