Hedda+Gabler


 * Your review was clear this time and focused more on the actors, set, costumes, props and music/sound unlike your first paper. That's a real improvement. However, I think you might have been holding back on your criticism, at least it seemed that way. If you think something is not right, say so. If something is confusing or inconsistent with what the play seems to require, say so. Individual criticism is welcome. Not that you MUST be negative in your criticism. A production usually has good points and bad points. That's especially true of a university production. Begin to develop your taste and start exercising your critical thinking and analysis.**


 * A**

Christian Baumgarth Performance Critique- "Hedda Gabler"

The UGA theater department's second play of the semester was "Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. The play was performed in a very unique and stylized manner that made it interesting to watch. The play revolved around the tragedy of the title character and followed her story from her lavish early life to her unhappy and boring marriage and, ultimately, her untimely death. The main themes of this play were wealth and manipulation as both of these were used to explain Hedda's behavior throughout the play. All of the different elements of this production came together to tell the story in a very engaging way.

The play was centered around how Hedda used her power of manipulation to control others to entertain herself. The actress playing Hedda chose to use an appropriate voice that made her sound flirtatious, convincing, and conniving whenever she spoke. The men of the play (Tesman, Judge Brack, and Eilert) all believed everything Hedda said and were, more or less, slaves to her imagination. The actors who played Eilert and Judge Brack used confident voices when talking to Hedda to appear smooth and cool. Some of the best-acted scenes were when Hedda convinced Eilert to go to the party, when she talked to Judge Brack when he came in the back door, and when she convinced Eilert to take his own life. These scenes best showcased the male actors' abilities to appear helpless as the actress playing Hedda casts her spell on them.

Tesman, Hedda's husband, spent most of the play trying to give Hedda everything she ever wanted and, in a way, feared her. The actor playing Tesman had to use a comical yet timid voice to depict his character. Mrs. Elvsted, an old friend of Hedda, Tesman, and Eilert, was concerned for her own safety throughout the play when she saw Hedda's persuasive powers. The actress playing Elvsted chose to use a reticent voice during the production to show how scared her character was. The final characters were Tesman's Aunt Julie and their maid, Berta. Though these two had minor roles, they were important in keeping the flow of the story. The acting styles chosen accurately depicted how each character was meant to be perceived by the audience.

The entire play took place within the confines of Tesman's living room. The set was very stylized in that there were no actual walls put up. There were many mirrors and mannequins hanging on thin wires from the ceiling. There were luggage bags everywhere to help establish that they had just returned from vacation and that the very high-maintenance Hedda had brought a ton of things with her. Also, the actors did not go offstage once their scenes had finished. Instead, several white curtains were positioned around the perimeter of the stage and the actors sat in chairs behind them, motionless, when they were not performing. This was a little strange as an audience member, but it made transitions between scenes quicker and smoother. Also, since the stage was only one room, many actions that took place in other rooms had to be stylized. For example, Berta walked off set and behind several of the white curtains and then reappeared on the other side of the stage to simulate going up to the attic. The actors used this stylized space very well to dictate to the audience what was happening throughout the play.

The costuming of the play was a big question mark for me. The show took place in a small town in Norway in the late nineteenth century. Since I know little about Norwegian culture, I could not tell you if the costumes in this play were realistic or not. The women all wore long skirts with blouses and sometimes coats while the men wore button down shirts, ties, and jackets. If this play had taken place in America, I could see these costumes being very realistic. Whether these costumes are characteristic of nineteenth century Norway or not, I really couldn't tell. However, none of the costumes looked out of place to me as an audience member. Because of this, I would call the costuming of this play a success.

Sound and lighting technology can make or break any stage production. The sound effects used in this play included music between acts, a doorbell, and music during the performance. The most interesting part of the sound in this show was the doorbell. I believe they used a wind chime for the sound effect because it didn't sound like a traditional doorbell. Though it was different, it wasn't that hard to pick up on and very creative. The lighting of this play was, for lack of better terms, basic. Simple fades in and out of the stage lights were mostly the only lighting cues in the play. The first scene, however, featured very dimmed and dark colored backlighting while the people were throwing all the luggage into a pile. This gave the scene a very ominous feeling and had the audience guessing what was going to happen next. Though the sound and lighting usage in this play weren’t very complex, the things that were done helped to aid the flow of the play.

Behind every good stage production is a talented director. The director had to work with all the different production areas to turn the script into a performance. The play was cast very well as each actor possessed the qualities he or she needed to express the personalities of each character. The story itself required the audience to pick up on a lot of symbolism to understand the plot. I believe the director could have added more elements, such as props, to the play to make the story a little easier to understand. The stylized set was also a little confusing in that I wouldn't have known it was a living room simply from the look of it. However, the mirrors and mannequins served many purposes throughout the play helping to justify the set choices. I also believe the director tried to set this story in the present day. One hint that this may be true is when the actors used iPhones a few times during the performance. The use of a few modern colloquial terms supports this theory as well. The director had many decisions to make and each had an impact on how the audience responded or reacted to the production.

"Hedda Gabler" told the story about how manipulation and an unhealthy desire for control can lead to a series of tragic events. Each of the actors in this play had a different set of characteristics they had to portray in order to tell the story correctly. The set designers created a stylized set to serve as the backdrop for this play. The sound and lighting designers had the important tasks of creating the perfect accompaniments to the actors’ performances. The director was tasked with having to cast great actors, stage the play appropriately, and bring all of the elements of the play together. Although the play was very stylized and sometimes hard to follow, I appreciated the work that was put into this play and I enjoyed the performance.