Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...aybe it's because white women once again failed to understand the assignment this past election. Maybe it's because Mean Girls and Mean Boys are fucking with all of our lives so gleefully right now. Whatever the reason, Henrik Ibsen's 1891 Hedda Gabler, now onstage with the Artistic Home at the Den under the muscular direction of Monica Payne, feels vital and enraging. Irish playwright Mark O'Rowe's adaptation, though not exactly streamlined (it still comes in at about two and a half hours) hits almost all the right (that is to say, sour) notes about this most maddening of dramatic antiheroines."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...The Artistic Home is presenting the Chicago premiere of Mark O'Rowe's adaptation of Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. The production features an excellent staging and a strong cast who, under Monica Payne's direction, show off O'Rowe's crackling, up-to-date version to its full advantage."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...This new adaptation directed by Monica Payne, takes us deep into the life of a woman, Hedda Gabler, who has just married and is now Hedda Tessman ( played to perfection by Brookelyn Hebert) and is about to face something new, domestic life as a wife and homemaker. Her new husband, Jorge ( deftly handled by Todd Wojcik) is a dullard who cares more about reading books and gaining respect in a high position than anything else."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...‘Hedda Gabler’ has mystified audiences for generations, as this was certainly Ibsen’s intention when creating this endlessly fascinating character. The Artistic Home transforms the Den Theatre into 1890s Norway for their production of Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe’s 2015 adaptation of ‘Hedda Gabler’. Under Monica Payne’s direction, this contemporary-voiced retelling is diabolically humorous."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Was the heroine of Hedda Gabler an early feminist or just a spoiled brat? In the new production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1890 play, Brookelyn Hebert plays her as a bit of both. The first act of the Artistic Home production, directed by Monica Payne, is a lively, emotion-filled story played for its humor but act two takes on a Scandinavian gloom. The play is filled with laughter and light until it isn’t."
Entertaining Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Hedda Gabler is the story of what happens when a woman goes from prim and proper expectations to feeling like a cornered animal. This production is lush and full of talent, just waiting for you to buy your tickets!"
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Recommended
"...Ibsen skillfully walks us through this minefield of emotions and thought-provoking challenges. Directed by Monica Payne, this production featuring Mark O'Rowe's adaptation, seems to lean a bit more toward a modern interpretation in acting style."
MaraTapp.org
- Recommended
"...Controversy is nothing new for Henrick Ibsen’s play, which was interpreted for decades as a Feminist cautionary tale of what happens when strong, smart women are trapped by societal restraints, and, more recently, as a tale of mental illness with a woman who has borderline personality disorder. Whatever one’s take, we can agree that this is the story of a smart, strong and privileged woman married to an adoring husband whom she does not love, and facing a life of smalltown boredom."
Allie and the After Party
- Recommended
"...So if you are not a fan of these dialogue driven or society plays where it?s rich people being bored, Hedda Gabler wouldn't be a good fit for you. However if you love the work and want to see a finely acted production, this version of Hedda would be a good fit for you."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...There's much to say about The Artistic Home's potent if occasionally wobbly version of "Hedda Gabler," Henrik Ibsen's 1891 domestic tragedy, directed by Monica Payne. But what should be emphasized straight off is that the play's title character has long been considered one of the theater's meatiest parts, and that Brookelyn Hebert's portrayal of Ibsen's celebrated femme fatale is an old-school, eyeball-grabbing star turn, one that every theater lover will relish."
