"Hedda Gabler"

Theatre review
"Hedda Gabler" at Ithaca College
The Ithaca Journal
October 9, 2007
649 words

"IC Theater captured the relevancy of ‘Hedda Gabler'"

full text here

IC Theater captured the relevancy of ‘Hedda Gabler'
By Mark Tedeschi
Special to The Journal

The main stage schedule at Ithaca College this year features a wide spectrum of work and “Hedda Gabler,” a classic by the hugely influential Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, is an ambitious choice to kick off IC's ambitious run of shows. The talent shown across the board in “Hedda” seems like good indication of a memorable upcoming season.

“Hedda” takes places in a Norwegian villa in the late 1800s. The societal stresses placed on the title character allow for different interpretations of her motives; consequently, she's had countless distinct historical depictions. In this production, directed by Jeffrey Tangeman, senior Corinne Proctor played her as a busy but jaded woman with a potential for the sinister that's either a chosen counterbalance to society's fixed and overbearing expectations or an inborn trait that forces her to work against the grain. Her actions and their questionable motivations have made Hedda a historically fascinating character.

Hedda's popularity as a character needn't detract attention from the others, nor the adept group portraying them: There's Jorgen Tesman (Alex Krasser), Hedda's scatterbrained but well-meaning husband who provides occasional comic relief; Judge Brack (Gary Howell), a smooth-talking acquaintance who is the only one that sees through Hedda and confronts her for her misgivings; Thea Elvsted (Erin M. Callahan), Hedda's old target for bullying in school; Eljert Lovborg (Marcin Pawlikiewicz), Tesman's academic contemporary; and Julle Tesman (Dani Stoller), Jorgen's kind aunt.

In the first scene with both Tesman and Hedda, one would never guess they were husband and wife. Hedda married him for financial reasons — one of the many causes for her pessimistic outlook on life — not for love, as Tesman believes. Lovborg tells them both about his latest project, a groundbreaking manuscript about a new theory of history that was largely inspired, he says, by Elvsted. Jealousy distracts Tesman while Hedda flirts with the other men and reveals periodic hints about her rich and complicated back story. The men trek out to a party; later, the manuscript finds itself into the wrong hands while Hedda can't help but take out her frustrations out on Elvsted once again.

Andrew Upton's adaptation included frequent conversation interruptions that kept the pace quicker than it would have been in Ibsen's day; unfortunately, the disjointed dialogue sometimes made it sound as if the actors were struggling with timing — but judging by the strength of their embodiment of the characters, that was not the case. And in addition to the plethora of dashes, the text is filled with intense, beautiful language and perceptive, if harsh, observations — Hedda declares, “Love is how we sweeten obligation.”

The lighting, sound, and set designers worked closely together to explore Hedda's torment. Laura Krassowski's superb lighting design featured very slow, subtle changes, italicizing the drama in certain scenes. The sound design by Mary Elizabeth Barnes used somber string arrangements and overlapping sound bites from all characters to give a small glimpse of the hectic busyness inside Hedda's mind.

Alexander Woodward's set, almost completely grey, contained only a wood-burning stove, two tables, a sofa, and a piano — but that was not what you noticed first. Modern magazine advertisements attached to the floor surrounded the set on all sides. They were the only anachronistic flourishes in the show, and they popped up again later in a masterfully executed climax. The juxtaposition of Hedda's drab furniture and the colorful pizzaz of enticing ads reminded us that social pressures can exist in myriad forms.

Even Hedda's riskier actions were no match for the unrelenting monster of societal expectations. “I can do what I want,” she asserts repeatedly, as if a mantra. She's right, but as it still stands today, one must be ready for consequences.

That's the source of an air of depressing inevitability throughout “Hedda Gabler”: the universal, inescapable forces of society to which, at some point or another, we all fall victim. IC theatre captured the relevancy of Hedda's oft-discussed plight.

“Hedda Gabbler” ran through Oct. 7. IC Theatre's next play is “The Full Monty,” previewing Oct. 30 and running Nov. 1-10. Visit www.ithaca.edu/theatre for more information.