I went to see the play ‘Hedda Gabler’ last week as part of the Melbourne Festival 2011. I had never seen an Ibsen play but a classmate invited me as her mother had performed the part of Hedda several years ago in Sydney. I was intrigued by the fact that though the original play was published back in 1890 it featured a lead female character that was seen by critics as both evil and a feminist.The play was entirely performed in German with English subtitles. I really enjoyed it, even sans interruption, so much that I didn’t notice the 2 hours flying by. The glass-walled minimalist set designed by Thomas Ostermeier was perfect for this play. The great performance of the protagonist Hedda, whose power-fuelled character was prepared to go to extremes and at all costs, made me feel both angry and sad.