Hedda Review

Tessa Thompson Shines in a Lively Update of a Classic Stage Play

By: Marc Kozak

Hedda

Tessa Thompson Shines in a Lively Update of a Classic Stage Play

By: Marc Kozak

The role of the title character in Hedda Gabler has always been a juicy one for stage actors ever since Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen first conceived the play back in 1891. Hedda is newly married, bored, and trapped in a life that she does not want. She wants to create her own destiny but is stuck in a world where that isn't really possible for a young woman. What better outlet could there be for all that repressed rage than causing chaos and messing with people's lives at a fancy party?

Writer/director Nia DaCosta makes a few updates to the classic play, shifting the setting to the 1950s and adjusting the characters to introduce issues of race, gender and sexuality into the mix. The changes are significant, but they work quite well, resulting in a reimagining that feels fresh and modern while still retaining the scandalous charm of the original material.

In this version, Hedda (played by Tessa Thompson) is black and bisexual, two changes that serve to further isolate the character within an already confining world of male-dominated high society. Hedda is a former bohemian and party animal with not much in common with her new husband George (Tom Bateman), a struggling professor who dreams of rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful. With the help of Hedda's family friend Judge Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), the new couple buys a giant, lavish country estate that everyone knows they can't afford, all in an attempt to shove their way into a higher class. The story opens on the eve of a giant party at the estate where George and Hedda have invited a bunch of influential guests so George can kiss the ass of the esteemed Professor Greenwood (Finbar Lynch) and hopefully land a new, cushy job.

" Watching Hedda is like being at a party where there's a lot of drama going on that you aren't a part of -- you can just sit back and enjoy the flames. "

Hedda only marginally cares about any of this, her calmness clearly upsetting her increasingly rude husband. She is more concerned about the attendance of her former lover, the openly queer Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hoss), who has also seemingly moved on from her wilder past, sobering up and becoming a promising author alongside her co-author/girlfriend Thea Clifton (Imogen Poots). It turns out that Eileen is in competition for the same job that George wants, which means both must do their best to look good (or make the other one look bad) in front of Professor Greenwood at the party.

Hedda is in the middle of all of this social intrigue, as she desires the nice things that come with social advancement but is pained at how she must suppress her true self in order to make that happen. As she bounces from room to room, each guest seems to have their own designs that all require Hedda's unwilling involvement. Judge Roland Brack feels he owns Hedda because he gave her financial assistance and makes sexual advances under the threat of blackmail if she doesn't comply. Thea is fretting about Eileen being anywhere near Hedda, fearing that Eileen might sink back into alcoholism and ruin their chances of getting their new book published. George is worried Hedda's uncultured manner will embarrass him in front of fancy society, all but tries to lock her away out of sight.

And then there's Hedda, who has had just about enough. She has so many constraints in her life that she sees this party as an opportunity to actually affect events for once, even if that means manipulating events to cause the most trouble possible. She is a classic antiheroine, gaining the empathy of the audience even when she's acting badly and often seemingly against her own interests. She is a woman with little power in a world of men, Black and bisexual in a world that frowns upon anyone who isn't white and straight, penniless and at the mercy of those who would do her wrong. It's no wonder that she lashes out in anger against these forces, even in ways that can seem cruel and counterproductive. She is wonderful in all of her flaws, and it's a joy to watch her strut around and wreak havoc.

The role allows Tessa Thompson to showcase impressive range, which she does with confident gusto. She is often striding through the crowd with an arrogance befitting one who belongs in this world, dressed in incredible outfits and looking fabulous even after going for an impromptu swim in a lake. But she's masking a great pain that really comes out in her scenes with Nina Hoss, who is equally outstanding as the similarly conflicted Eileen. Both women know they will never truly be accepted in this world, regarded as nothing more than "pretty little things" with silly ideas and no real power to affect change. They both mourn the fact that their window to be together has passed, especially since Hedda seems unwilling to embrace her true self in favor of climbing the societal ladder. There is a palpable sense of sadness and loss when Thompson and Hoss are on screen together, an unseen veil that covers both characters as they move through the party.

DaCosta's movies have always looked wonderful, and this is no exception. The elegant old mansion used as the singular location is beautifully decorated and extensively explored by DaCosta and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt -- characters often sneak into shadowy nooks and crannies to have private conversations, hiding in plain sight against massive bookshelves or ornate fountains. Hildur Guðnadóttir's score is effectively suspenseful and twinged with a bit of horror, while the party features a live band that allows for the use of a few swinging' classics from the era. It's an impressive overall production, and everyone is clearly having fun going all-out for period-appropriate details.

One of the few moments where we see Hedda truly as herself is when the band starts to play and she glides back and forth while encouraging her guests to start dancing. Time seems to slow as she closes her eyes and gives herself to the music, truly free for just a moment before the realities of her situation come crashing back to her. That old fire still burns within her, but the only way it can come out in her current situation is through chaos and destruction. "Hedda" revels in this tragic destruction and it's truly a lot of fun, even when it's being mean or outright horrible. It's like being at a party where there's a lot of drama going on that you aren't a part of -- you can just sit back and enjoy the flames.