Review: THE WILD DUCK, Coronet Theatre

Fact-checkers from The Washington Post have discovered that Donald Trump spoke 30,573 untruths during his presidency of four years. An average of around 21 erroneous claims a day.

This tendency to ignore the truth and spout downright lies is just as apparent this time round in the current American election campaign. One example is Trump's absurd utterance about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio eating people's pets.

So, a new version of Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck ­– dealing with hidden secrets from the past and the fallout of insisting on absolute truths – at The Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill Gate, London, is very timely.

The Coronet's co-production with the Norwegian Ibsen Company (NIC) and Bergen's Den Nationale Scene examines the dangers of idealism through the story of the Ekdal family ripped apart by the arrival of Hjalmar Ekdal's childhood friend, Gregers Werle (also the son of wealthy industrialist Hakon).

Gregers' strict adherence to idealist principles that means voicing truths no matter what the circumstances might be disrupts the lives of the Ekhals and leads to a tragedy of Chekhovian proportions.

Should the truth be pursued at all cost? Or is it better to sometimes tell white lies and not reveal the whole truth to save someone from pain, to save marriages and to even save lives.

There are superb performances from a very able Norwegian cast. Svein Harry Hauge lends wisdom and gravitas to the role of Hakon Werle, while Christian Rubeck as his son Gregers is suitably smug, dogged and unrepenting as his damaging actions progress in a sinister fashion.

Kare Conradi (one of Norway's foremost actors) gives us an emotionally intelligent portrayal of wronged Hjalmar Ekdal, balanced by Yvonne Oyen's graceful and stoical performance as his wife Gina. Their endearing and lively daughter Hedvig (a warm and expressive Hermine Svortevik Oen) brings a burst of lightness to an otherwise austere tale.

Stripped down design (simple wooden chairs and flooring) is by multi-skilled Alan Lucien Oyen, who also directs and provides a highly effective soundscape with beautiful piano and violin music that helps ramp up the slow-build tension. Straightforward lighting from Martin Flack casts evocative shadows redolent of Scandi noir.

However, there are pros and cons to the decision to have all of the dialogue in Ibsen's native tongue. It does give a lovely rhythm to the piece, but it can become tiresome reading English surtitles for the entire evening. Also, I feel the audience missed out on some key gestures and expressions from this highly accomplished troupe of actors, which is a shame.

But despite this quibble, it's worth seeing this new, exciting staging of Ibsen's acknowledged masterpiece that marvellously handles loss, betrayal and a blindness to when it's appropriate to state bold truths. And when it's better to simply turn a blind eye to them.

The Wild Duck runs at The Coronet Theatre until November 2.

Photo credits: Tristram Kenton

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