{"id":383314,"date":"2025-10-24T21:06:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T01:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=383314"},"modified":"2025-10-24T21:06:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T01:06:44","slug":"stcs-exceptional-wild-duck-gives-wing-to-ibsens-emotional-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/10\/24\/stcs-exceptional-wild-duck-gives-wing-to-ibsens-emotional-power\/","title":{"rendered":"STC\u2019s exceptional \u2018Wild Duck\u2019 gives wing to Ibsen\u2019s emotional power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October brings a rare and remarkable production to Washington, DC\u2019s Shakespeare Theatre Company: The Wild Duck<\/em> by Henrik Ibsen<\/strong>. Directed by Artistic Director Simon Godwin<\/strong> and performed by a tight-knit ensemble, the production balances humor and tenderness, bringing both avian and human follies into sharp focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coincidentally, across town this month, Ibsen\u2019s The Enemy of the People<\/em> opens at Theatre J. What is in the air inspiring this twin revival of the playwright\u2019s late-19th-century works, and how might they speak to us today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig and Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal in \u2018The Wild Duck.\u2019 Photo by Gerry Goodstein.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Often called the father of modern drama and considered second only to Shakespeare, Ibsen was a fearless innovator who moved from mythic folk tales to psychological portraits (Hedda Gabler<\/em>, A Doll’s House<\/em>) to sweeping social critique. Then, in one creative surge during the summer of 1883, he wrote The Wild Duck<\/em> \u2014 a smaller, symbolist play wrapped in domestic realism. Early audiences were baffled: the plot seemed to wander, the characters were unlikeable, and their choices unsettling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, adaptor David Eldridge<\/strong> and Godwin streamline the text, revealing its emotional power and cutting extraneous business. Scenic designer Andrew Boyce<\/strong> and lighting designer Stacey Derosier<\/strong> create a world where the domestic meets the symbolic and both take flight. Gone is the Act I dinner party of businessman H\u00e5kon Werle. Instead, offstage laughter and clinking glasses frame a brief prologue that quickly leads us to the heart of the story \u2014 the home and studio of photographer Hjalmer Ekdal and his family. A large dining\/worktable anchors the space beneath a raked glass ceiling, where Derosier\u2019s lighting shifts mood and time. An upstairs door hints at the aviary beyond \u2014 home to the wounded wild duck that becomes the play\u2019s haunting central symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godwin directs the work with precision and restraint, eschewing gimmicks in favor of rich, natural performances that showcase ensemble acting at its best. Alexander Hurt<\/strong> and Nick Westrate<\/strong> inhabit the central characters of Gregers Werle and photographer Hjalmer Ekdal, friends since childhood who discover in adulthood that they\u2019ve become ill-suited to each other\u2019s entrenched habits. Westrate\u2019s Hjalmer is a generous, affable friend and devoted father; a dreamer sustained by comforting illusions. Hurt\u2019s Gregers, wounded by his father\u2019s corruption and dalliances, is rigid in his ideals and determined to expose deception no matter the cost. Both men, in their own ways, resemble the wild duck: \u201cdiving down to the bottom of the deep blue sea\u201d and clinging to what they believe keeps them alive.<\/p>\n\n\n

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TOP LEFT: Robert: Stanton as H\u00e5kon Werle in \u2018The Wild Duck.\u2019 Photo by Hollis King; TOP RIGHT: Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle and Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal in \u2018The Wild Duck.\u2019 Photo by Gerry Goodstein; ABOVE: Maaike Laanstra-Corn as Hedvig, David Patrick Kelly as Old Ekdal, Nick Westrate as Hjalmar Ekdal, Melanie Field as Gina Ekdal, and Alexander Hurt as Gregers Werle in \u2018The Wild Duck.\u2019 Photo by Gerry Goodstein.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The women in the play are grounded and practical. Melanie Field<\/strong> as Gina Ekdal is a strong and capable woman who runs both home and the photography studio. Gina carries a dark secret from her past but has moved beyond to build a relationship and home with Hjalmer and daughter Hedvig. We grow to sympathize and love this woman and also admire her persistence, industry, and resilience. Mahira Kakkar<\/strong>\u2019s Mrs. S\u00f8rby, once entangled with two of the men, wields her charm and intelligence to her advantage. Both these characters have made their lives happy enough, though not without scars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Ekdals\u2019 teenage daughter, Hedvig, Maaike Laanstra-Corn<\/strong> is luminous \u2014 her restless energy and trembling vulnerability capturing a young girl facing the unthinkable. Robert Stanton<\/strong> (H\u00e5kon Werle), David Patrick Kelly<\/strong> (Old Ekdal), Matthew Saldivar <\/strong>(Relling), and indeed the whole cast, make for an exceptional whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound designer Darren L. West<\/strong> and music director Alexander Sovronsky<\/strong> serve up music, and particularly violin solos, much like sherbet breaks between courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show was a feast and showed this generation the lasting legacy of Ibsen\u2019s dramatic powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wild Duck<\/em><\/strong><\/a> plays through November 16, 2025, in the Shakespeare Theatre Company\u2019s Klein Theatre, 450 7th St NW, Washington, DC. Tickets (starting at $39) can be purchased online<\/strong><\/a>, by calling the Box Office at 202-547-1122, or through TodayTix.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Asides program is online here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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