Several area theaters are bringing out the big guns during this spring-into-summer season, braving the daunting challenges of Chekhov, O’Neill, and, um, Streisand (more on that later this week). But first out of the gate is Jobsite with their take on Ibsen, staging hot young Brit playwright Lucy Kirkwood’s adaptation of Hedda Gabler.
In Ibsen’s original, Hedda is one of the most challenging, complicated characters in dramatic literature; in Kirkwood’s adaptation, praised as “ingenious” in its London premiere, the action is moved from 19th-century Norway to 21st-century Notting Hill, and Jobsite’s description of Hedda’s dilemma — “she returns from her honeymoon with a husband she doesn’t love, to a flat they can’t afford and a pregnancy she doesn’t want” — makes a good argument for her timelessness.
Even more promising, Hedda will be played by one of our most talented local actresses, Emily Belvo, and the supporting cast includes Christopher Marshall, who was splendid in Tampa Rep’s Copenhagen, and Katrina Stevenson, who’s pretty much great in everything. Director Stuart Fail makes his Jobsite directorial debut. Preview Performances 5/8-9, 8 p.m., $18; 5/10-6/2, Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m., $29.50. Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center, jobsitetheater.org.