ON STAGE
What: Hedda Gabler
Where: The Roxy Theatre, 2657 Quadra St.
When: June 2-12 (in-person), June 9-12 (streaming)
Tickets: $15-$45.30 from bluebridgetheatre.ca
In 1974, when Brian Richmond was far less courageous than he is today, the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre co-founder had the opportunity to direct a version of Hedda Gabler.
His decision to pass on the 1891 classic from Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen has haunted him ever since.
“When I started [Saskatoon’s] Persephone Theatre with Janet Wright and Susan Wright nearly 50 years ago, we had Hedda Gabler on the list for our first season,” Richmond said.
“But it’s a dark play, so I lost a bit of courage. It was a new theatre company and we needed community support.”
Richmond is finally getting the chance to direct Hedda Gabler, 48 years after the fact — and not a moment too soon. Blue Bridge is mounting the play tonight, during what is Richmond’s final season as artistic director of the company he co-founded in 2008. “It took me almost 50 years to have the courage to do the play,” he said with a laugh.
Amanda Lisman stars as Gabler, a newlywed who has immediate regrets about her marriage. Bored and unfulfilled, she begins to create a life of her own doing, but one with dire consequences. It is a cautionary tale, bursting with intrigue and high drama. Its numerous screen adaptations have starred everyone from Ingrid Bergman and Ian McKellen to Patrick Stewart and Diana Rigg.
Glenda Jackson earned an Oscar nomination for her turn as the title character in the 1975 film adaptation, which arrived the year after Richmond decided to not stage the play in Saskatoon. As such, he now makes a point of teaching Ibsen to his theatre students at the University of Victoria.
“He is certainly up there with Chekhov as one of the brilliant playwrights of the 19th and 20th Centuries,” Richmond said. “I’m a big fan.”
Blue Bridge’s current season will be the swan song for Richmond, who has served as the company’s artistic director for 14 years. Richmond announced he would be moving on when the company sold its venue, the Roxy Theatre, in February.
Blue Bridge has signed a three-year renewable lease with new owners Strandlund Investments Ltd., which will keep Blue Bridge at 2657 Quadra St. through 2025 at the earliest. No replacement for Richmond has been announced, but he expects Blue Bridge to have someone in place when the company’s current season comes to a close in August.
“I’ve been talking about leaving for a few years,” he said. “But when we announced the season, I had not decided that I was leaving at that point in time. It’s interesting coincidence that Hedda Gabler is my last show with Blue Bridge [as a director], given then themes about the play. It’s about a woman who is struggling to find courage, and I finally found the courage to produce it. ”
