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Hedda Gabler
Apr. 30th, 2004 06:42 amLast night I saw an adaptation of Hedda Gabler (Ibsen) at the Loeb Ex. I didn't know what to expect, but if the original is anywhere near the intensity of this production... wow.
The story is about manipulation, and layers thereof, and gaining power over others or being adrift, which for some people leads to feeling fully alive or not. There are some very odd characters, and I was impressed with how the different layers of personality came out.
The actors were excellent, particularly the title character, beautiful and stranger (more mentally ill?) than any of them had realized. Plus she wore a very nice corset for much of the evening. The judge managed to say all he needed to without being explicit, given his position, and the others showed their true colors as well. The one slightly off note was Aunt Julia; it was unclear to me for a while whether she was truly a caring, rather altruistic person, or one using that facade for her own ends. I think the actor didn't get her quite right.
The set was impressive, going through the middle of the theater with the audience on two sides. There were canted spaces on one end to indicate other rooms as well, all separated by long lengths of gauze, one of which had a TV screen with some sort of face on it. But the main focus was the living room in the center. The most striking part about it was the long glass 'table' that was suspended from the ceiling. There were long, almost flowering, silvery branches on it, and at different times different colors of light played on them from the row of intersperesed colored lights below. The rest of the stage area was outlined with a very long bench on either side, with a variety of odd angular outlined shapes pointing up out of it that were used as chairs. There was a flat sort of chaise-lounge at one end, and a desk with a clear lucite chair at the other. And with the careful lighting, it was intense, and creepy at times.
In addition to the careful lighting, the sound was used thoughtfully, too. I didn't recognize any of it, but in addition to the incidental and in-between-times sorts of music, there was always some kind of music playing behind things when Hedda got into a... 'mood'. Or was it in the grip of her obssession? Or full-blown mental condition?
It left me wondering how much was adaptation, and how much in the original.
For anyone who's interested, it's playing through Saturday night, tickets are free, and if last night was any indication, you could show up at curtain (7.30 tonight and tomorrow night, also a 2.30 matinee tomorrow) and have a seat.
The story is about manipulation, and layers thereof, and gaining power over others or being adrift, which for some people leads to feeling fully alive or not. There are some very odd characters, and I was impressed with how the different layers of personality came out.
The actors were excellent, particularly the title character, beautiful and stranger (more mentally ill?) than any of them had realized. Plus she wore a very nice corset for much of the evening. The judge managed to say all he needed to without being explicit, given his position, and the others showed their true colors as well. The one slightly off note was Aunt Julia; it was unclear to me for a while whether she was truly a caring, rather altruistic person, or one using that facade for her own ends. I think the actor didn't get her quite right.
The set was impressive, going through the middle of the theater with the audience on two sides. There were canted spaces on one end to indicate other rooms as well, all separated by long lengths of gauze, one of which had a TV screen with some sort of face on it. But the main focus was the living room in the center. The most striking part about it was the long glass 'table' that was suspended from the ceiling. There were long, almost flowering, silvery branches on it, and at different times different colors of light played on them from the row of intersperesed colored lights below. The rest of the stage area was outlined with a very long bench on either side, with a variety of odd angular outlined shapes pointing up out of it that were used as chairs. There was a flat sort of chaise-lounge at one end, and a desk with a clear lucite chair at the other. And with the careful lighting, it was intense, and creepy at times.
In addition to the careful lighting, the sound was used thoughtfully, too. I didn't recognize any of it, but in addition to the incidental and in-between-times sorts of music, there was always some kind of music playing behind things when Hedda got into a... 'mood'. Or was it in the grip of her obssession? Or full-blown mental condition?
It left me wondering how much was adaptation, and how much in the original.
For anyone who's interested, it's playing through Saturday night, tickets are free, and if last night was any indication, you could show up at curtain (7.30 tonight and tomorrow night, also a 2.30 matinee tomorrow) and have a seat.