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Show ijrjruj t E t I" w'l"iT,u I" fi"llfnTT"'l The Salt Lake Tribune, Sunday. March 14, 1982 91 years later, Hedda still puzzling ne translation, one that he believes has By Nancy Funk more warmth than the somewhat stuffy Tribune Staff W nter translation of William Archer. Not everyone likes Hedda Gabler. In Le Gallienne's version Ibsen does Actress Eabctta Dick does. not come off as a stuffy Victorian After weeks of being with her, in novelist trying to write plays, said Mr. preparation for the leading role in the Anderson. "The play has no lengthy Henrik Ibsen play of the same name, monologues and is written conversaMiss Dick says, I do like her. I didnt tionally. Ibsen has given us such a real at first, but now Ive come to undera woman human being in Hedda stand her and find those qualities in me ahead of her times. Critics most that are part of her. The startling thing frequently describe the play as one a is, she is so real. I dont think of her as about the human condition hard, cold or cruel. Ibsen has given so psychological study. In Heddas parall that charm is there much to her ticular case she is a fascinating, for a purpose, but she isnt a pleasant intellingent woman who is frustrated at lady " every turn. In those early translations, Ibsen Munich Premiere so dark and dower, but the play seemed Norwegian bom Ibsen wrote Hedda so a Gabler during the second half of his is really not gloomy piece. Theres in it and a lot of and much wit comedy playwriting career, after "A Doll's funny things to go on. The remarkable House (1879) and Ghosts" (1881 ) thing is, Hedda almost never says what It was first performed in Munich in she means and therein lies the chalJanuary of 1891 to less than universal for the actress." lenge acclaim. Audiences had become accusMiss Le Gallienne, who performed tomed to Ibsens social statements but several times, described the didnt exactly know how to react to a as Hedda most wonderful role ever as the part of wealth great play about a woman a woman. for written who destroyed herself Blanche DuBois My imagination cannot grasp her as . . . In deciding to portray Hedda, Miss one, single, integrated person, said Gerhard Gran, a Norwegian cntic Dick said it was difficult at first She falls apart in because she hated her, but I did think at that time. contradiction, and I don't find the it would be a good stretch for me. Ive When I been accused of always doing the common denominator. . think of her now, a few weeks after Blanche DuBois or Zelda Fitzgerald reading the play, I think of a rather odd type of character. woman, who astonished me with her This four act play will be costumed in strange behavior, who excited my clothes indicative of the period and curiosity without capturing my indesigned by Ballet Wests David terest. Heuvel. Ladd Lambert is scenic deNow. 91 years later, the play is still signer with lighting by Scott evoking discussion. Jarvis L. Anderson, Morehouse. a professor of English and theater at Allen Nevins, most recently seen in Utah State University, has been inSLAC production of Whos Afraid the trigued with Ibsen for a long time. of Virginia Woolf?" will portray over the research extensive Through Lovborg the about much he discoverd years playwright including his influence on Scott Zogg, whose credits include George Bernard Shaw. Mr. Anderson numerous productions with the Human and Ensemble Repertory Theatre and the Dolls House has directed Ghosts," but never Hedda," before New Shakespeare Players, will portray now His interpretation will open ThursTesman with Bonnie Fulton, who apday at the Glass Factory Theatre in peared in the Ensembles production of Arrow Press Square, a production of Pinters Betrayal," cast as Thea. the Salt Lake Acting Company. Nancy Borgenicht, seen in SLAC's Still Relevant productions of "The Good Doctor and Ibsen is one of those playwrights The Maids. will appear as Aunt who does not date, said Mr. Anderson. Juliana with Robert Ormsby as Brack. He is as timely today as he was in the Mr. Ormsbys credits with SLAC in19th century. The kind of woman Hedda clude The Good Doctor and Death is, is the kind of woman often found of a Salesman." Marie Newman, who an imprisoned soul, so to was seen in Summer and Smoke and today The Shadow Box, for SLAC, will speak Ibsen is trying to provide a framework for a particular woman and portray Berte. he does that well in this beautifully The production will open during the structured work. Of all of his female week of Ibsens birthday (March 20) and portraits, I believe Hedda is the most will run Thursday through Saturday intriguing, most fascinating and most then Wednesday through Saturday detailed. through April 18. Matinees will be For the local production, Mr. An- offered Sundays at 2 p.m. with evening derson has selected the Eva Le Gallien- - performances at 8 p.m. . -- Tnbone Staff Pnoto by Van Babetta Dick stars in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, open- - fc Porter ing Thursday, 8 p.m. at Glass Factory in Arrow Press Square. I Theater calendar Bob Fosse's Theatre, Sunday, 2 Dancin, Capitol p.m. Tickets, $11 to April 18, presented Acting Company. by the Salt Lake $20. Bernard Slade's Tribute," Theatre 138, East, Wednesdays through 138-2n- d Saturdays through March 27, 8 30 p.m. Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, Glass Factory Theatre, Arrow Press Square, Thursday through Saturday then Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m. Sundays, 2 p.m. through April 18, presented by the Salt Lake Acting Company. Webber and Rices Superstar, Jesus Christ St. Mark's Episcopal 231 E. 1st South, Fridays, Cathedral, Saturdays, 8 p.m. through April 3 Tickets, $5.50. Robert Elliott's Fires of the Mind," Pardoe Drama Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m., then March April Matinees, March 27, 29, 1 p.m. 30-3- 23-2- . r TWO PREMIERES Friday and Saturday, March 26-2- 7 8:00 p.m. Tickets $6, $8, $10, $15 Capitol Theatre Box Office, All ZCMI Stores Student Discount Available For reservations call 535-790- 5 ... M&Mi Joan Micklin Silver tries B Editor's Note: Salt Lake City residents will remember Joan Micklin Silver from her direction of "Head Over Heels" in this city in 1978. By Jay Sharbutt Associated Press Writer NEW YORK Revues here tend to offer Old Guard music, the songs of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin. Rarely do theater-goer- s hear from popular musics New Guard. But Joan Micklin Silver, the film director who triumphed in 1974 with Hester Street," following that with Between the Lines and Head Over Heels," wants to rectify this, just a little bit. With Randy Newman, of all composers. Shes taken 35 of his songs and created and directed a new revue, Maybe Im Doing It Wrong. Its set to open Sunday at the Astor Place Theater. Newman wrote such hits as Short People" and "I Think Its Going to Rain Today." He did the score for the film Ragtime," music from which will turn up in Miss Silvers show. But hes never written for stage, although Ragtime" screenwriter Michael Weller did use some of his songs a few years ago on Broadway in s Weller's comedy, Loose Ends. It makes no difference, says Miss Silver, whose show begins with a picnic in an July Fourth atmosphere, with each song silly, sad or given its own little sketch. The startling thing is that even though I love Randy's music and my kids were raised on it, there are people who dont know him at all. Hes not as widely known as he should be The Newman show first was done a year ago as a short-ruworkshop piece at the Production Comtroupe with a pany, an theater on West 18th Street. Despite little publicity and a brief knock from a rock critic dispatched by the mfluential New York Times, the show played to packed houses, to patrons of all ages, she says. That, she adds, persuaded her to expand the show run m a from 23 to 35 songs and try an larger theater, the run produced by Ray Silver, her husband and partner in films. A tall, plain-spoke- n woman, she got m the stage musical business here shortly after makmg her stage directing debut with Album, David Rimmer's of the hit comedy about young-modem- two-coup- le n 60-se- open-ende- d teen-ager- early s 60s. l at the She says she'd seen another Production Company and called one of the proprietors to thank her for inviting her over Whereupon she was asked to try her hand at a Randy Newman show So," she says, I called Randy, whom Id met in Hollywood and had wanted to do the score for Head mini-musica- Torrey Smith and Smokey's Records presents in 111 Zu -z o 2a Ladies Literary Club 850 East South Temple , Cosmic Aeroplane 258 E. 100 So. 355-144- Smokey's Records 1515 S 1500 E 486 8709 15-2- 0) Special Collection She wanted to direct, but writing came first. The Prestige Upholstery Silvers moved to New York and I began trying to make my way in films, starting with educational films while I was trying to write and sell features. Finally, she made a sale, a movie script called Limbo," about the plight of American wives whose husbands are prisoners of war or missing in action in Vietnam. She says it fumed into a great disappointment. So she sought directing assignments. And, she says, she ran into a lot of discrimination from various film and television moguls who, no matter what they said publicly, didnt believe a woman could hack it. $699-$79- 9 I believe that is abating now," she says You see that women are directing both in films and television, but obviously it still isn't nearly as many as should be. "But when I first started in television, I think m one year alone I counted 105 television movics-o- f not one directed by a woman This was a period when it was really rough for women. Just horrible things were said to me about women as directors, the most blatant kind of sexism I think my husband noticed my frustration. He said if I could make a film for a low budget, hed try to produi e it "And thats how we did Hester Street,' " she says, referring to her critically acclaimed movie about the Jewish Community of New Yorks Lower East Side Did it open doors for her? j $399-$49- 9 the-wee- ALL SALES FINAL Henredon, Baker Marge Carson Morris James H To a degree. she says "I had studios saying, I told them. What do you want to do next She smiles They said, No. OK, what else do you want to do next? But still, it did improve the situation And, she says, as she finally made some headway in the business, her husband got hooked, and he directed a prison film. On the Yard." That marked her debut as a movie producer !A FURNITURE AND DESIGN 2855 Highland Drive Ph. CHARGE m 4 to IT! g6 Buy or 1 lease 5450 Green SI Murray Just off at 53rd South 268 4446 (Open evenings til 8 excppt Saturday) rnnnahied ( hargf Account somewhat Salt Lake City, Utah Tickets Available at: Audinworks 149 200 S 364 9999 (Mar. The worlds Finest Grand Pianos concert ALEX DE GRASSI SCOTT COSSU Saturday, March 20, 1982 6:30 and 9.00 P.M. Over Heels. Unfortunately, he had a conflict at the time and couldn't do it. Well, I told him I didnt know if the show would work, but that Id do it informally. If he hated it, I wouldnt do it again. And that if I hated it. I wouldn't do it again, either. Neither hated it of course And Maybe Im Doing It Wrong became her first New York musical Its something shes always wanted to do, having acquired the desire as a teen-age- r growing up in Omaha, Neb. She was captivated by road-shoeditions of Broadway musicals that played there. They'd let you m free if you wanted to work free as an usher, she says. So thats what I did. I think I saw Kiss Me Kate six times. It formed a lot of my ideas of whats splendid about musical theater. But she took the long route to musical theater. After college at Sarah Lawrence, she married Ray Silver, then moved to Cleveland where he was in real estate, and had three daughters. rm 'T 487-573- 7 |