Overview

• Lily Allen stars as Hedda in Matthew Dunster’s modern-dress production at the Ustinov Studio in Bath, running through 23 August.
• Allen’s performance has been hailed as a furious portrait of self-loathing that balances brittle style with flashes of inner turmoil.
• Reviewers highlight jarring updates—including Hedda’s record-label backstory and Brack’s reimagining as an MP—that strain the play’s original stakes.
• Several critics fault the swift pacing for undermining key emotional arcs and rendering pivotal moments melodramatic.
• Anna Fleischle’s minimalist set design and strong support from Ciarán Owens, Imogen Stubbs, Brendan Coyle, Julia Chan and Tom Austen shape the production’s mixed reception.