The Restoration of Judy

So many people," wrote playwright Henrik Ibsen, "have nothing to do but yearn for happiness without ever being able to find it." But even that great Norwegian depressive might have become giddy with excitement at the prospect of Cate Blanchett playing his femme fatale Hedda Gabler, as the Australian star will do for the Sydney Theatre Company from late July. Ibsen's bored 19th century housewife with a gun is a volatile vehicle for a high-voltage actress looking to make her mark, a kind of career-defining harpy Hamlet. Just ask Judy Davis, who's now appearing on the Sydney stage for the...