My thoughts on HEDDA GOBBLER

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 5:01pm

What. The F*CK. Was that.

The above is my interpretation of how Mary-Louise Parker would deliver the question "What the F*CK was that?" in character as Hedda Tessman in Ian Rickson's reprehensible revival of Ibsen's HEDDA GABLER.

I left after the first act. I've only done that once before in New York: at Roundabout's production of DANGEROUS LIAISONS. But that was for different reasons. I was bored at LIAISONS. I didn't like the play.

Here, I like the play. I think HEDDA GABLER is a great play. And I was never bored during the first act of Rickson's production. Why not? You can never be bored when you're in utter shock. I spent much of the first act with my mouth agape. How could this get on stage? How could Rickson and Parker and Michael Cerveris and Todd Haimes and Christopher Shinn allow something so awesomely awful to be produced?

Starting with Shinn's translation. Faithful to Ibsen? Yes. A colloquial version, great for this generation. In fact, this generation could very much appreciate this version. It's like watching an episode of some show on the CW. But he changes so many lines to bizarre, ineffectual new ones.

Parker deadpans her way through, as per usual. But she's such a Bitch (I would use a different word to describe her, starts with a "C;" Jesse on All That Chat was entirely correct in that respect) that it's impossible to give a rat's ass. And her delivery is flat, as well. She's giving a performance for the cameras.

Cerveris is just miscast, playing Tesman as a flamboyant fop, not as a bookish academic. Peter Stormare is Judge Brack via a stroke victim from Texas; Paul Sparks is Eljert via Texas; Lois Markle is Berte via Texas; Ana Reeder is Thea via a bad performing arts high school.

Helen Carey survives. As per usual.

I had flashes of Alexander Dodge's set in the Nicky Martin/Kate Burton production while looking at Hildegard Bechtler's for this one, only this is bigger. And all the furniture are clumped downstage right (house left). Ann Roth's costumes were nice; Parker looked stunning. I actually thought PJ Harvey's music was the best part.

Where was Rickson to reign everyone in? What directing did he actually do beyond blocking the show? What's with the pronunciation of "Gabler" like it's the sound a turkey makes? What's with the actors delivering lines like it's 2009? Why are the names not Anglo-cized like everything else? Why are a usually reliable group of actors appearing like they're in twenty different productions?

Most importantly, where was somebody to say "No, no; this isn't right?"

Oops, sorry; that's not a good substitution for a sentance that should be "No, no; there's something wrong here." Thought it would fit right in with Shinn's translation.
Updated On: 2/1/09 at 05:01 PM

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 5:06pm

At first I thought the title was a typo until I read your post. I guess it's appropriate, though, seeing as this is a definite turkey.

This is a very good bad review, if that makes sense. I like how you actually explained what you didn't like about the show instead of just saying, "acting was bad, directing was bad," etc.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 5:15pm

And I was never bored during the first act of Rickson's production. Why not? You can never be bored when you're in utter shock.

Okay, let me try and pull my own Parker impression:

That was. Classic. Sir.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 5:28pm

This is a very accurate review and sums up pretty well how I feel about this production.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 6:20pm

Indeed.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 6:57pm

Hmm, you walked on Liaisons and you walked on Hedda. Maybe you've come to the conclusion that Roundabout, no matter what they say in their prospectus, just isn't to be trusted. I shudder to think what's going to happen with Godot -- it won't affect me one way or the other, as I've written the Roundabout off my list PERMANENTLY.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 7:28pm

Oh, now I'm even more excited to see this show!

Is the PJ Harvey music all new for the production? I love her stuff, and I think using her music is actually a cool twist.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 7:33pm

Ed, I've already come to the conclusion that Roundabout needs a new Artistic Director.

I'm interested in seeing how GODOT turns out. Sounds like it could be promising. Then again, so did this. And LIAISONS.

[greybaby231]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 8:32pm

I saw like the fourth performance and held out hope, and I am very sad to hear that it's obviously not getting any better. =[

I went with my mother - who's like the biggest MLP fan on the planet - and even she didn't like it, and that woman can sit through ANYTHING as long as it has MLP, Jon Groff, or Peter Frampton in it.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 8:53pm

I'm with yankee, Haimes is the problem.

This production was atrocious all around. The last line of the play got a laugh at the performance I attended. What happens right before that shouldn't elicit even the slightest bit of amusement.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 10:07pm

Hedda Gobbler

Excuse me, is this a play about turkeys or a sex romp?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/1/09 at 10:13pm

Good for you, YankeeFan!! If I were the type of person to walk out of shows, I would have walked out of this one. Truly horrendous.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 12:12am

I loved this show & gave it a standing ovation. I'm a huge Mary Louise Parker fan and it was just amazing to see her on stage. (Also loved Roundabout's Threepenny Opera with Cyndi Lauper.) I think I loved Hedda & Threepenny Opera so much because they were "modern" adaptations. Maybe it's because I don't have anything to compare it to (since I had never seen or read an original version), but I thought this was an outstanding play.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 12:15am

I think I loved Hedda & Threepenny Opera so much because they were "modern" adaptations

One of the biggest problems with this production is that the only person doing a modern interpretation of it is Mary Louise Parker. The rest of the cast is doing a period piece. She, however, is performing an entirely different play.

[homeimp]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 12:54am

If you left after the first act I have no interest in this review.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 12:55am

People often ask, "Mike, do you ever NOT like anything, or find ANY fault in a production?" Indeed I have. Caught it last Wednesday, the 28th. It was ... an evening out. At least it stopped raining upon leaving for the train.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 6:03am

Damn. I'm seeing this in 2 weeks. I was so hoping to hear it had finally worked itself into something watchable.

Would it be bad of me to wish it closes so I don't have to sit through it? Yes, I know I don't HAVE to see it, but I doubt I would simply skip it. I could try to talk my companion for the day into skipping it!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 8:08am

If it were a commercial production, it would have closed quicker than AMERICAN BUFFALO.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 9:24am

It's really not unwatchable, dramamama. It may be if you're expecting traditional Ibsen. I had thrown that expectation out the window from the first review on here. It's not that bad. In fact, I enjoyed it. I really only enjoyed MLP and Cerveris, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 9:27am

"If it were a commercial production, it would have closed quicker than AMERICAN BUFFALO."

If not quicker, then definitely around the same number of performances (9)...both shows were painful to sit through.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 10:19am

One should always go to Ibsen expecting the worst.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 10:57am

I've said that the Kate Burton version was worse than this one. I found much to admire in this production.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 11:21am

Thanks for your review! Too bad you hated it! Roundabout looks like they are doing a lot of MISSES lately, huh?

J*
Updated On: 2/2/09 at 11:21 AM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 11:46am

Jay *, your comment about the Roundabout has my nomination for understatement of the year (and this is meant as a compliment).

[jordangirl]

Posted: 2/2/09 at 12:44pm

Totally agree J* and ed. When I hear "Roundabout" and "Reworking" together in the same sentence, I start running the opposite direction. It's pitiful.