The Wild Duck

 The Wild Duck is Ibsen at his best. I will be blatantly biased here and say I love Ibsen, heck I love all theatre of realism, but I am not a fan of intricate sets and ubiquitous props, so this production of The Wild Duck suited me perfectly. 

 Presented by: Belvoir Street TheatreVenue: Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Surry Hills Thursday, 17 February, 2011
The Wild Duck is Ibsen at his best. I will be blatantly biased here and say I love Ibsen, heck I love all theatre of realism, but I am not a fan of intricate sets and ubiquitous props, so this production of The Wild Duck suited me perfectly. Ralph Myers set was incredible in its simplicity. A Perspex frame contained the cast and the first thing one thinks from sitting in the audience is of those in glass houses. The perfect beginning for a story of love and betrayal but done in a way that shows us it could be, and is all of us, in that glass box. 
The performances are sharp and absolutely real. Somehow the stark set and sparse space and the demure costumes allow the characters to appear more than real. There were times when Ewen Leslie and Eloise Mignon as father and daughter were interacting and disrupting each other and I honestly began to feel like I was looking into someone’s living room. I cannot go into detail about the story too much as it would limit the delicious tension for the audience but suffice it to say it is worthy of the cover of Who magazine. You see, Gregers Werle arrives back in town; his father meets him at the airport. He hears news of an old school friend; Hjalmar Ekdal lives in a flat with his father, his wife and his daughter Hedvig. They live within a cozy albeit fiscally challenged house with a lot of love surrounding them despite the ordinariness. The two friends reconnect. It is cathartic and catastrophic. I’d tell you more, but you’ll have to see it. 
So go see it! It has so many things that make theatre great – brilliant set, costumes and lighting designs, all integrated into the text – faultless performances and at about 1 hour and 20 minutes there is plenty of time for a drink afterwards.  Until 27 March, 2011 Bookings: Belvoir Street Website