The award-winning spectacular production, Hedda Gabler, comes to the Baxter Flipside in Afrikaans (1 to 10 May) and in English (12 to 24 May).

With Rolanda Marais, Albert Pretorius, Martelize Kolver, Ashley de Lange, Ludwig Binge, Stian Bam Director and translator: Christiaan Olwagen

Please note: This production contains graphic scenes that include references to suicide.

Guns, roses, tilled soil and feathers. These are just some of the items to be found scattered throughout Christiaan Olwagen’s bold, irreverent and visually magnificent production of Hedda Gabler, which runs at the Baxter Theatre with English and Afrikaans seasons.

This award-winning reworking of Henrik Ibsen’s play about one of the theatre’s most enduring femme fatales is brought into the 21st century with the distinctively fiery title character played by Rolanda Marais. Hedda Gabler will be performed in Afrikaans from 1 to 10 May and from 12 to 24 May 2025, with the same ensemble, when the production makes its English debut at The Baxter.

The formidable cast is led by Marais, along with Afrikaans theatre blue bloods, Albert Pretorius, Martelize Kolver, Ashley de Lange, Ludwig Binge and Stian Bam with direction and translation by Christiaan Olwagen.

Following a sold-out debut at the 2024 Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, Hedda Gabler was the big winner at this year’s kykNET Fiëstas, with an impressive four awards: best actress for Marais’s brilliant performance, best achievement in design, best ensemble and best festival production. The play was awarded the first Martie Retief Meiring Award at the Woordtrofees last year for new work that brought challenge and excitement to the stage and got audiences talking.

Hedda has recently returned from her honeymoon with Jurg (Albert Pretorius), but all is not well in the household. Despite Jurg’s success, he already bores her and he still can’t believe that the beautiful Hedda chose him. When her old flame, Lovborg (Ludwig Binge) suddenly shows up, she aims a wrecking ball at her life. Why? Because she can!

Marina Griebenouw, in her review for INK, remarked that Ibsen’s most complex female character “beguiles and scorches as spectacularly and fleetingly as a comet through the sky with everyone who crosses her path or stands in her way. Just so in Christiaan Olwagen’s production”, in which Hedda gives a fat middle finger to being nice. She is awful and she knows it.

Elzanne Coetzee gives the production full marks on Klyntji and believes that “Olwagen’s interpretation and handling of this text breathes new life into the wild woman trope … as I walk out of the theatre, I think that there is something incredibly satisfying about a neat set that is completely destroyed by an explosive production”

Laetitia Pople, Netwerk24’s national arts editor, describes the set as an “architectural marvel”.

As Hedda rebels against everything in her power with venomous wit and unapologetic defiance, this production, with an age restriction of 16 years, has all the elements for a thrilling experience – a rebellious tale of power, passion and destruction.

Set design is by Rocco Poole, costumes by Mariechen Vosloo, lighting design by Wolf Britz, music by Charl-Johan Lingenfleder and choreography by Natalie Fisher.

Hedda Gabler is a Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees production supported by NATi and the Baxter Theatre. It runs at The Baxter in Afrikaans from 1 to 10 May and in English from 12 to 24 May 2025, at 19:30 with Saturday matinees at 15:30. Booking is through Webtickets online or at Pick n Pay stores.

For further media enquiries, interview of pic requests please contact Fahiem Stellenboom on fahiem.stellenboom@uct.ac.za or call 021 680 3971 or Candice Jantjies on candice@woordfees.co.za or call 078 837 7999.

AFRIKAANS PERS VERKLARING

Bekroonde Hedda Gabler kom in Afrikaans (1 to 10 Mei) en in Engels (12 to 24 Mei) na die Baxter-teater

Met Rolanda Marais, Albert Pretorius, Martelize Kolver, Ashley de Lange, Ludwig Binge, Stian Bam Regie en vertaling: Christiaan Olwagen

Neem asb. kennis: Hierdie produksie bevat grafiese tonele wat verwysings na selfdood insluit.

Gewere, rose, vars grond en vere. Dis om net ’n handvol rekwisiete te lys op die stel van Christiaan Olwagen se produksie van Hedda Gabler wat binnekort by die Baxter-teater in Kaapstad op die planke gebring word.

Dié bekroonde herwerking verplaas Henrik Ibsen se femme fatale na die 21ste eeu met ’n kenmerkend vurige titelkarakter, vertolk deur Rolanda Marais. Hedda Gabler is van 1 tot 10 Mei in Afrikaans te sien, en van 12 tot 24 Mei sit dieselfde ensemble ’n Engelse buiging voor.

Aan die hand van ’n uitverkoopte debuut by die 2024 Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, was dit die groot wenner by vanjaar se kykNET Fiëstas met vier pryse. Dit sluit in beste aktrise vir Marais se skitterspel, beste prestasie in ontwerp, beste ensemble en beste feesproduksie. Die stuk is laasjaar by die Woordtrofees met die eerste Martie Retief Meiring-toekenning bekroon vir nuwe werk wat gehore uitdaag, opgewonde maak en aan die praat sit.

Hedda is pas terug van haar wittebrood met haar man, Jurg (Albert Pretorius), maar die bootjie kantel gou. Ten spyte van Jurg se sukses, is sy alreeds verveeld met hom, terwyl hy steeds nie kan glo die mooie Hedda het hóm gekies nie. So wanneer haar ou vlam, Lovborg (Ludwig Binge) skielik opdaag, gooi sy haar hele lewe aan flarde. Hoekom? Want sy kan.

Die resensent Marina Griebenouw skryf in INK dié mees komplekse vrouekarakter van Ibsen “begogel en verskroei so skouspelagtig en vervlietend soos ’n komeet deur die hemelruim almal wat oor haar pad kom of in haar pad staan. Ook in Christiaan Olwagen se produksie”, waarin sy ’n vet middelvinger vir gaaf wees wys. Sy is aaklig, en sy weet dit.

Elzanne Coetzee gee die stuk volpunte op Klyntji en meen “Olwagen se interpretasie en hantering van hierdie teks blaas nuwe asem in die wilde mens-troop”.

Laetitia Pople, Netwerk24 se nasionale kunsredakteur, beskryf die stel as ’n “argitektoniese wonderwerk”. En “daar is iets ongelooflik bevredigend aan ’n netjiese stel wat absoluut verinneweer word, dink ek soos ek by die teater uitstap ná die ontploffing van ’n toneelstuk”, skryf Coetzee.

’n Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees-produksie ondersteun deur NATi en die Baxter-teater.

Kaartjies beskikbaar by Webtickets aanlyn of by Pick n Pay winkels te koop. Daar is n ouderdomsbeperking van 16 jaar.

Fahiem Stellenboom
fahiem.stellenboom@uct.ac.za
072 265 6023
Baxter Theatre Centre
http://baxter.uct.ac.za