January 22, 2009
Mauckingbird Theater’s Hedda Gabler: Review
Fresh from his reimagining of the greatest love story of all time “” Romeo and Juliet “” as a repressed homosexual love at a boarding school, Director Peter Reynolds is now taking one of the most recognized female parts in theater and giving it a lesbian twist.
Mauckingbird Theater Company’s Hedda Gabler makes that one change to Henrik Ibsen’s classic story of the beautiful, manipulative aristocrat and title character, portrayed by Jennie Eisenhower. What results is a decidedly modern take on the original story’s themes and conflicts.
Hedda has still married the bumbling and studiously boring George Tessman (Dito van Reigersberg). She still returns from a six-month honeymoon-turned “research trip” bored and infuriated with the life she has chosen for herself. With the return of her former lover Eilert Lovborg “” played here by Sarah Sanford as a woman who convincingly dresses as a man, in the style of George Sand “” she still wreaks havoc on the lives of those around her with tragic results.
Those familiar with Ibsen’s tale will enjoy this production for its thought-provoking new layers of character interaction. For instance, in an early conversation with the young Thea Elvstead “” the striking Jessica DalCanton “” Hedda’s manipulations, shrouded in social niceties, take on an additional element of sexual intimidation not present in the original work.
Yet theatergoers who haven’t seen or read Hedda Gabler will find the updated story interesting as well. The original conflicts, like many Victorian-era stories, seem contrived and petty by today’s standards. Characters whisper gossip and ruin each others’ lives over misplaced bonnets and the refusal of an aperitif. In Caroline Kava’s adaptation, the characters’ sexual repressions provide updated conflicts and conventional reasons to keep secrets from loved ones and those in positions of power.
All of this takes place in the Adrienne Theater’s cramped Second Stage with a dutifully recreated set, complete with General Gabler’s portrait hanging over the fireplace. The most rewarding interactions on this small stage come from hushed one-on-one exchanges between the characters. Whether it’s Judge Brack (Matthew Lorenz) and Hedda’s initially flirtatious conversations that turn tragically manipulative or Hedda’s snark comments to her do-good husband, every scene demands new interpretation and reveals new oppressions.
To be sure, Hedda is still at the center of this production. She masterminds every major conflict and shares in the ultimate tragedy of the show. However, portraying the title character as a lesbian forces other characters to question their sexual identities as well, and these characters’ struggles are brought to the forefront of the play, leaving Eisenhower’s Hedda struggling to catch up. The identity struggles of Thea and Eilert are much more compelling in this adaptation. Thea simply needs someone smarter than her “” man or woman “” to encourage and comfort her, while Eilert’s courageous decision to openly pursue women seems like a more significant plot point than Hedda’s deceptions.
The resulting production becomes less about the desires and treachery of the title character and more about relationships and sexual identity in general. Even if there’s a little less Hedda in this production of Hedda Gabler, Ibsen’s story remains compelling, and Mauckingbird’s updated interpretation only makes it that much more relevant.
Hedda Gabler
Jan. 13 “” Jan. 29 Adults $20, Seniors $18, Students $15
www.mauckingbirdtheaterco.org
Adrienne Theater, Second Stage
2030 Samson St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 923-8909
