by Henrik Ibsen

Adaptation and Lyrics by Lee G. Williams II

Music by C. Michael Perry

Hjalmar Ekdal, a poor retoucher of photographs, lives with his wife, Gina and his daughter, Hedvig. He deludes himself that he is a master inventor and spends his time dabbling in vague ideas while his wife does the actual work in the family. He is supported in his delusions by Hedvig, who adores him and innocently accepts his extravagant estimate of himself. Gregers Werle, the uncompromising idealist, son of a wealthy local businessman, returns to town, rejects his father for his past lies and turns to Hjalmar as a man capable of living the ideal life – Gregers tries to persuade Hjalmar to live by the whole truth. He tells Hjalmar that Hedvig is probably the daughter of Old Werle (his father), for whom Gina Ekdal worked at the time of her marriage. Instead of spurring Hjalmar to new conquests, the truth shatters his faith in his wife and daughter. Confused, but still the staunch idealist, Gregers decides he must go farther in shattering Hjalmar’s illusions. He tries to persuade Hedvig to kill her pet wild duck, which Hjalmar has taken as a symbol for all the exotic and rare things for which he yearns. Grief-stricken by her father’s rejection of her, wishing to prove her love but confused about the kind of sacrifice Gregers demands of her, Hedvig shoots herself, instead.

• 3M 2W 1breeches part(male character played by a female)
• 1 multi-location setting
• Eclectic costumes
• About 70 minutes

---

PERUSAL SCRIPT (act one only)

LIST OF SONGS:

• Ibsen! Ibsen! — The Company
• A Riddle — Dared — Gina
• Images — Hedvig
• How Does Man Keep Alive? — Gregers
• Charade — Old Ekdal
• Hjalmar — Gregers
• *Truth — Werle
• *And Leaves Fall Down — Werle
• Change — Hjalmar
• The Wild Ducks — Gina
• And Leaves Fall Down — Hedvig
• And Leaves Fall Down — Company
• (*optional)

SONG DEMOS: The THREE demo files were made in 1976 during the rehearsals of the original production. Too bad the piano was slightly out of tune.

If you have an interest in producing this show, please EMAIL me.