Was the heroine of Hedda Gabler an early feminist or just a spoiled brat? In the new production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1890 play, Brookelyn Hebert plays her as a bit of both. The first act of the Artistic Home production, directed by Monica Payne, is a lively, emotion-filled story played for its humor but act two takes on a Scandinavian gloom. The play is filled with laughter and light until it isn’t.
Hebert’s vibrant performance and the new adaptation of the script by Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe make Hedda’s character more flamboyant and excitable than she is usually portrayed. But the crux of her story is Hedda’s boredom and impatience with her new married life and societal restrictions that keep her from living life as she pleases.
As the play begins, Hedda and her husband Jorge Tesman (Todd Wojcik) have just returned home to Oslo from a long honeymoon trip, the key value of which, for Tesman, was research for his pending academic promotion. Hedda is already bored with married life and her older and (in her mind) stuffy husband. She’s the daughter of a renowned general (whose pistol collection she now owns), but finds there is no respectable role or activities outside the home for a married woman. And she does not cease to let us know how bored she is.
Ibsen said he named her Hedda Gabler, rather than Hedda Tesman, “to indicate that Hedda as a personality is to be regarded rather as her father's daughter than her husband's wife.”
Adding some spice to the storyline are two men. Judge Brack, dashingly played by John Mossman, is a friend of Tesman’s but a flirtatious and charming roué. Ejbert Lovborg (Dan Evashevski) is younger and apparently an academic competitor for the professorial position that Tesman desires (and needs, so he can afford his new house and his wife’s spending habits). But Lovborg is brought down by his bad habits, which include liquor and consorting with ladies of ill repute. We are introduced to Lovborg and his reputation by an acquaintance of Hedda’s—a young woman named Thea Elvsted (played by Ariana Lopez), also married to an older man. A key element in the plot is the draft of a groundbreaking book on the future, written by Lovborg, that Tesman fears may end his own career hopes.
Tesman’s Aunt Julie (Lynne Baker) is a sympathetic soul who loves her nephew but Hedda treats her like an intruder, refusing to address her as anything other than Miss Tesman. Aunt Julie lives nearby with her ailing sister, Aunt Rina.
Monica Payne’s direction is sure and moves the action smoothly around the multi-level set. The outstanding cast is highlighted by Hebert’s performance, which is impulsive and dramatic. (At one point, Judge Brack asks her how she can be so rude to her husband’s aunt. She says, “I don't know. I find the impulse comes over me and I can't resist.”)
Payne also directed one of my favorite Artistic Home plays, Ada and the Engine by Lauren Gunderson; the 2019 production starred a luminous Brookelyn Hebert, playing Ada Lovelace, the 19th century math genius.
The late 19th century costumes for the female characters are lushly designed by Rachel Lambert, as are the men’s suits, complete with vests, neckties and cravats. Kevin Hagan takes advantage of the deep narrow stage space in the Den Theatre’s first floor Bookspan Theatre to create several sitting areas from stage front to stage rear, each with its own space for scene blocking. Petter Wahlback’s sound design creates moody soundscapes that add an ominous tone to the pre-opening moments as well as the dramatic action. Lighting design is by Rachel Levy. Audrey Terhune is stage manager.
Adapter Mark O’Rowe, whose plays include Terminus and Howie the Rookie, also wrote the adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts that just opened in previews at Lincoln Center Theaters in New York.
Hedda Gabler by the Artistic Home continues through March 23 at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Running time is 2.5 hours with one intermission. Tickets are $35 for performances Thursday-Sunday.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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