By Galen Simmons

Sara Topham’s performance as the titular character in the Stratford Festival’s production of Hedda Gabler is deeply disturbing – and I mean that in the best way possible.

Having tied herself down to a future she dreads with Dr. Tesman (Gordon S. Miller), a man she barely likes, let alone loves, Topham’s Hedda is rude, uncaring, cold, disconnected and mischievous – finding just the briefest of joys in subtly tormenting the people around her.

Ony just married, she is already bored of her surroundings. The prospects of, at very least, a comfortable, posh life filled with parties and finer things have begun to fade as Tesman’s career aspirations as an academic and a writer seem to pale in comparison with those of his colleague, Lovborg (Brad Hodder) – a brilliant yet tortured author whose alcoholism and romantic history with Hedda offer plenty of opportunity for Hedda to meddle in Lovborg’s newfound relationships with both Mrs. Elvsted (Joella Crichton) and sobriety.

Hedda seeks to uncage what she sees as the beauty of Lovborg’s true self at the cost of his hard-won abstinence from alcohol, which he only achieved with the love and support of Elvsted. Hedda gaslights Elvsted into, at least in part, believing she has always been her friend with her best interests at heart and she not so subtly manipulates Lovborg into joining Tesman and Judge Brack (Tom McCamus) for a night of debauchery.

In so doing, Lovborg loses the manuscript for, perhaps, his best book yet – one he wrote with the help of Elvsted – and he falls into a deep depression, believing himself unworthy of both his love and his work. With the secret knowledge that Tesman had actually recovered said manuscript from the gutter, Hedda opts to keep the manuscript hidden – later going so far as to destroy it – and encourages Lovborg to take his own life as one last, independent act of true beauty – or so she sees it.

When she discovers Lovborg did not in fact kill himself and was instead killed by a secret lover, and Judge Brack plans to blackmail her for nefarious purposes with the knowledge she provided the gun that took Lovborg’s life, Hedda ends the play on the darkest note there is – but on her own terms.

This play is dark from start to finish. The goodness of characters like Tesman, Elvsted and Juliana (Bola Aiyeola) is overshadowed by the selfishness of Hedda, Brack and, to a lesser extent, Lovborg. The relatively small cast, bare bones set decoration and sparse lighting offer stark contrast to the deeply complicated personas portrayed on stage.

While Topham is certainly and deservedly the main focus of this production, the performances by each of the supporting actors add context and understanding to Hedda’s depression. Tesman’s refusal to see the signs of his wife’s rapidly declining mental health, for instance, and instead focusing on his own career and professional jealousy, is an important reminder not to take our loved ones’ mental health and wellbeing for granted.

Brack, who at first presents as a friend to Hedda, ultimately proves himself to be the predator he is, lying in wait for the right moment or piece of information that will put someone else’s life in his control. While Hedda freely acknowledges this about her so-called friend, it comes as no less of a shock when he turns his predatory sights on her.

This production of Hedda Gabler is well worth seeing, though it does deal heavily with mental illness and suicide. If you are struggling with mental illness or have thoughts of suicide, there is help available. If you are in crisis, call the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance’s Huron Perth Helpline and Crisis Response Team at 1-888-829-7484. This service is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.