Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler is on at the Robinson College Auditorium, presented by the Brickhouse Theatre Company and directed by Kitty Croft. The play has some brilliant moments and certainly deserves to be seen by more people, though it didn’t quite hit its tragic climax.

The six-person cast did a good job of keeping their energy even when performing to a small audience and the excellent chemistry between cast members meant that there were frequent moments of audible audience reaction.

“Hugo Gregg is perfectly hateable as Tesman”

Gwyn Horbury perfectly captures the physicality and mannerisms of an older woman in her portrayal of Aunt Juliana, her movements just as ‘spidery’ as her handwriting. Hugo Gregg, playing her nephew, is perfectly hateable as Tesman — oleaginous and spineless from the first scene to the last, deliciously clueless about his wife’s dislike of him. This results in some brilliant comic moments between Tesman and Hedda. Eirlys Lovell-Jones’ performance as Hedda demonstrated impressive comic impulses all the way through, both in her dry commentaries on her husband and her own childish self-absorption.

Hedda has been described as a female Hamlet, but Lovell-Jones’ Hedda felt more like Cleopatra. Hers was a dynamic Hedda, in one moment delivering disillusioned commentaries on society, the next wistful musings on beauty, then into fits of rage, disdain, and flirtation. It takes a real talent to make such a range feel believable — flopping down on the bed in an adolescent sulk in one scene, committing acts of chilling cruelty in the next.

“The actors were better at hitting the comic notes than the tragic ones”

She was also a significant part of the play’s comic force, and her frequent inciting of audible laughter in the audience was impressive. Hedda created revulsion in me in the later scenes, but oddly, I felt the actors were better at hitting the comic notes than the tragic ones. This may have been because of a gradual drop in performance energy, or the fact that the actors were straining to be heard above the music during the most fraught scenes.

The dynamic between Brack, played by Ella Scott, and Hedda evolved well: from snide banter as they discussed Tesman’s hypothetical political failure — they are the villains we can’t help but love — to becoming truly evil. Brack’s power over Hedda is stomach turning in the final scenes, and this quality is a testament to how well Scott conveys masculine physicality.

Maddy Power as Lovborg was captivating and held her own against Hedda in their scenes together. There was, however, an unfortunate lack of chemistry between Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted (Emma Kentridge) — I couldn’t believe that these two had any kind of relationship, not even a friendship. The relationship conveyed was like that of an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, so Hedda’s jealousy seemed to come out of nowhere. I did appreciate the absolute blankness of the maid, played by Catherine Wray, and the way she was costumed to look the same as the set, which was draped in white sheets.

Although Hedda’s silk nightgown and Lovborg’s power suit were well chosen, the costuming fell flat. Distractingly, one character appeared to be walking through the 19th-century setting in bright green Adidas gazelles. Call me a blazing literalist with no imagination if you like, but I just couldn’t get over those green trainers…

Edwards De’Ath’s lighting design was effective and original: the lighting rig was one cool colour wash throughout, with effects provided by LED strip lights around the perimeter of the stage. Zak Bakkali’s sound design was atmospheric, and the gunshots (which could sound a bit cartoonish) were well executed.

The ending was a mixed bag: the final scenes inspired disgust and horror, but I wasn’t as chilled as I’d wanted to be by the end of the play because the tragic effect came only in sporadic moments and wasn’t sustained throughout the entire final act.

In short, go for a number of fantastic performances, technical innovations, and moments of beautiful blocking and direction — just don’t expect the perfect tragic climax.

Hedda Gabler is playing at the Robinson College Auditorium, Tuesday 21st to Friday 24th February, 7:30pm.