Stage Review - Hedda Gabler (Original Theatre Black Dog)
Stage Review - Hedda Gabler
Presented By: Original Theatre Black Dog - Issaquah , WA
Show Run: May 01 - May 10, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, May 03, 2025 (Opening Weekend)
Run Time: 3 Hours (including a 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
When I saw Hedda Gabler on The Original Theatre Black Dog’s schedule, to say I was intrigued would be an understatement. First, it’s a play that I’ve heard of, but that’s about it, I knew nothing about the plot, nor about the underlying messages that Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen imbued the piece with. Secondly, I had no idea how popular it’s been over the years, how many famous actors have played the lead character, or how forward thinking Ibsen was when it came to issues of mental illness. The play, which closed at the Issaquah Historic Train Museum on May 10, tells the story of Hedda Gabler, the daughter of a general, stuck in a marriage she wants no parts of, and living in a house where she doesn’t want to be. Hedda has just returned from her honeymoon with her author husband George Tesman, who it seems was more interested in his research than his new wife during their trip abroad. Not that Hedda was altogether upset about that, she never loved him and really only married him because, to quote My Cousin Vinny, her biological clock was ticking. When George’s former colleague Eilert Løvborg returns, not only does it make an already nervous George start looking over his shoulder, but it turns out the man, whom Hedda’s friend Thea left her husband to be with, was a former, um, acquaintance of Hedda’s. As the two get time alone, it becomes clear that their relationship was perhaps a little more than that. When the news comes to Hedda and George that Løvborg is working on a new book, something that is sure to eclipse any work that George has produced in his career, it sets into motion a series of events that seems right out of Shakespeare. George, scared, turns more into himself, but it’s Hedda who seems to go off the deep end when she finds out that Thea has influenced Løvborg‘s work. Upset at that fact, Hedda takes it upon herself to come between the couple, sending the author, her husband, and friend Judge Brack to a party, to test Eilert’s recent sobriety, while making promises on his behalf to Thea that he can’t possibly keep. What transpires is a story, a progressive tale of female empowerment, and though Hedda may not use her power for the best reasons, it’s more about the fact that Hedda Gabler can live a self-determinant life that is the key takeaway here.
The show itself is a long one, close to three hours, but the way this production is designed and performed, it doesn’t seem like it. There’s no one particular reason for that, either, it’s a combination of what the cast brings to their performances, especially Tenesia Knudsen as Hedda, and the drama and suspense that the creative team provides. On the creative side, it starts with the set, which is designed by the show’s director Susan Bradford. I’ve seen, I think, three shows now from The Original Theatre Black Dog and it’s impressive what this group does with this space, inside the Issaquah Historic Train Museum. The layout here is generally the same as it was for their A Midwinter Night’s Dream a few months back, which was different than the confirguration for The Importance of Being Ernest last season, but that’s the beauty of a space that’s like a blank canvas. Here, it’s relatively simple, Susan hasn’t done much with the interior walls of the old depot building, but the furniture and other props have been nicely selected to reflect a period in time long past, as are Gayle Oney’s costumes, which are extremely well done. From the costume perspective, Hedda’s outfits reflect her brash, brazen, and independent personality, the dress worn by George’s Aunt Juliana, played by Tracy Kirkpatrick, is big and beautiful, and Judge Brack (Kowan Russell) and Eilert Løvborg (Adam Tapp) in their velvet attire are dressed perfectly for their stations. Where this production really excels, though, on the creative side, is in the lighting. What Tenesia Knudsen and Holly Madland have done with their design adds so much to the drama and mood of this piece, it wouldn’t have nearly the emotional punch without it, especaiily their use of red lighting in some of the most important scenes in the show. All of these individual components come together to create a tapestry of emotion that doesn’t just complement the wonderful work the cast produces in this show, it amplifies it.
I’ve seen Hedda Gabler compared to Hamlet, and there are some similarities to it for sure, it’s at least Shakespearean in the way the story unfolds, and it’s a tragedy in the most literal sense of the word. To perform Shakespeare, it takes a group that understands how he develops and sustains his characters, how he portrays relationships, and how he makes his comedies land and his tragedies hit as hard as they do. It’s the same here with Ibsen, this isn’t an easy play to perform, there’s a lot to it, and for Tenesia Knudsen especially, Hedda is quite the complicated character. She’s miserable in her loveless marriage, but she’s a passionate woman, so when she finds the object of her affection, she pours it out, and it just so happens that the more dangerous the relationship is, the more inclined she is to jump at it. It’s something to watch Tenesia shift from the wife who won’t leave her home to visit her dying in-law to the seductress who gets Løvborg to do her bidding, or the backstabber who drives her friend’s relationship apart. In some cases, she’s asked to pivot in the same scene and Tenesia doesn’t miss a beat, but perhaps what she’s best at is keeping the audience guessing as to whether she’s really insane, or the complete opposite, in full control of everything she’s doing.
Make no mistake, this is Hedda’s story, and as such it’s Tenesia’s show. Every other actor on stage is there in support of her excellent performance, but that doesn’t mean that their roles aren’t important to the storytelling, nor does it mean that they aren’t good, they are. Michael Galvin plays Hedda’s husband George, a man who is torn between his family, namely his Aunt Juliana and his responsibility toward her and her ailing sister, and his marriage. He’s also pulled in the direction of his work, and while he has trouble balancing it all, Hedda is more than happy to help by distancing herself from him. Michael’s George is a nervous man, but his obsession toward his work soon overtakes him when Adam Tapp’s Eilert Løvborg comes back to town. Adam gets off to a slow start with his portrayal, but he hits his stride in Act 2, and in a scene after he believes that he lost his new manuscript and opens up to Hedda, he shows the emotional range that he has in one of my favorite scenes. It’s also when he shows a little more depth in his portrayal, rather than just trying to flirt with Hedda while George is in the same room. And speaking of flirting and potential suitors, there is Kowan Russell’s Judge Brack. Brack’s attraction toward Hedda is different, though, he’s after power. He comes across as a worldly and experienced man who understands how power drives the wheels of the social hierarchiy, and his attempts to gain control over Hedda have largely backfired, but with this conflict between Hedda, Thea, and Eilert, not to mention how George fits in, he may have found an opportunity, and I’ll be honest, I’ve now seen Kowan in three shows produced by this company, and each role has been different, and in each he has been amazing. Kowan Russell is the real deal, and it’s worth coming out to an Original Theatre Black Dog production just to see his work, not to mention what Tenesia has done here. Rounding out the primary group of supporting characters is Thea, played by Monique Preston. Monique is another who continues to impress, and she’s continued her good work from A Midwinter Night’s Dream into this role. There’s a lightness about her work, a fresh, youthful energy, which is a nice perspective to bring to the relatively naive Thea, who has given up everything from Eilert, and is willing to believe that he’d give up everything for her. Rounding out the cast are performances from Tracy Kirkpatrick as Aunt Juliana and Susan Bradford as Berta, George and Hedda’s maid. As good as I’ve said Tenesia’s performance as Hedda is in this production, having a supporting cast to lift her up makes her work, and this piece as a whole, something special.
Hedda Gabler, the 1891 play from Henrik Ibsen, isn’t an easy play; it’s on the long side, and it’s got enough drama in it for at least two plays. At the same time, though, it’s an enthralling piece of theatre that, when done well, keeps the audience engaged, and the Original Theatre Black Dog production is so successful in that regard that it feels nowhere near the three hours that it approaches. With a design that elevates the emotion of the source material, and a cast that understands the nuance and drama of Ibsens work, led by an incredibly versatile performance by Tenesia Knudsen as the title character, and delivers on it, this version of Hedda Gabler is another winner from this company.
The Original Theatre Black Dog presentation of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler ran on stage at the Issaquah Train Depot Museum stage through May 10. For more information on the company and upcoming shows, visit https://www.theatreblackdog.com/#/.
Photo credit: Anthony Floyd
