Was Hedda Gabler one of the roles you always wanted to play?
Kate Burton: Never! [Laughs] Not for one second did I want to play this part, which is probably why I’m having such a great time. I had studied it in Yale Drama School. We looked at Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov; I always chose Chekhov. I thoughtthese Scandinavians, I can’t deal with them! But as I’ve gotten older, I find Hedda Gabler endlessly fascinating, a towering character. Now that I know such much more, as I’m so much older, I realized what an extraordinary creation she was at the time. PBOL: The role used to be done a lot more often that it is now. KB: Yes, but strangely enough, recently there have been a group of productions. First there was Annette Bening, who did this translation out in L.A., and then Martha Plimpton did it at The Long Wharf, and will do it at Steppenwolf in the spring. She’s terrific, a good friend of mine. We’d meet each other in New York, calling each other Hedda in the subway. And Laila Robins did it up at the Guthrie. It’s wonderful that we’re all getti
