October brings a rare and remarkable production to Washington, DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company: The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen. Directed by Artistic Director Simon Godwin and performed by a tight-knit ensemble, the production balances humor and tenderness, bringing both avian and human follies into sharp focus.
Coincidentally, across town this month, Ibsen’s The Enemy of the People opens at Theatre J. What is in the air inspiring this twin revival of the playwright’s late-19th-century works, and how might they speak to us today?
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, A Doll’s House) to sweeping social critique. Then, in one creative surge during the summer of 1883, he wrote The Wild Duck — 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.
Here, adaptor David Eldridge and Godwin streamline the text, revealing its emotional power and cutting extraneous business. Scenic designer Andrew Boyce and lighting designer Stacey Derosier create a world where the domestic meets the symbolic and both take flight. Gone is the Act I dinner party of businessman Håkon Werle. Instead, offstage laughter and clinking glasses frame a brief prologue that quickly leads us to the heart of the story — 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’s lighting shifts mood and time. An upstairs door hints at the aviary beyond — home to the wounded wild duck that becomes the play’s haunting central symbol.
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 and Nick Westrate inhabit the central characters of Gregers Werle and photographer Hjalmer Ekdal, friends since childhood who discover in adulthood that they’ve become ill-suited to each other’s entrenched habits. Westrate’s Hjalmer is a generous, affable friend and devoted father; a dreamer sustained by comforting illusions. Hurt’s Gregers, wounded by his father’s 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: “diving down to the bottom of the deep blue sea” and clinging to what they believe keeps them alive.
The women in the play are grounded and practical. Melanie Field 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’s Mrs. Sørby, 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.
As the Ekdals’ teenage daughter, Hedvig, Maaike Laanstra-Corn is luminous — her restless energy and trembling vulnerability capturing a young girl facing the unthinkable. Robert Stanton (Håkon Werle), David Patrick Kelly (Old Ekdal), Matthew Saldivar (Relling), and indeed the whole cast, make for an exceptional whole.
Sound designer Darren L. West and music director Alexander Sovronsky serve up music, and particularly violin solos, much like sherbet breaks between courses.
The show was a feast and showed this generation the lasting legacy of Ibsen’s dramatic powers.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
The Wild Duck plays through November 16, 2025, in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, 450 7th St NW, Washington, DC. Tickets (starting at $39) can be purchased online, by calling the Box Office at 202-547-1122, or through TodayTix.
The Asides program is online here.
The Wild Duck
By Henrik Ibsen
Adapted by David Eldridge
Directed by Simon Godwin
Produced in Association with Theatre for a New Audience
CAST
Katie Broad, Melanie Field, Alexander Hurt, Mahira Kakkar, David Patrick Kelly, Maaike Laanstra-Corn, Bobby Plasencia, Matthew Saldivar, Alexander Sovronsky, Robert Stanton, Nick Westrate
CREATIVE
Scenic Designer: Andrew Boyce, Costume Designer: Heather C. Freedman, Lighting Designer: Stacey Derosier, Sound Designer: Darron L West, Music Director: Alexander Sovronsky, Movement and Fight Director: Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum
SEE ALSO:
STC announces cast and creatives for Ibsen’s ‘The Wild Duck’ (news story, August 11, 2025)
