REVIEWS // HEDDA GABLER

Toronto Star

"Diana Bentley absolutely sizzles." "The beauty of this production, and Bentley’s performance, is that nothing is certain. To the end, the actor keeps us guessing about her motivations." "...It will be hard to erase Bentley’s haunting portrayal of this enigmatic woman from our minds."

Globe and Mail

"Moya O’Connell... has also given her Hedda, played by an alternately alluring and frightening Diana Bentley, a spectacular dance of wild abandon like one of Dionysus’s female followers."

"...Some fine acting from one of the [Coal Mine's] typically impressive casts." "Chown’s intense Lovborg is almost comically awkward, but you can see the struggle of a newly recovered addict who is afraid."

"[Emily Haines'] powerful music seems to amplify Hedda’s unsettled interior with deep, heart-like throbbing and great surges of sound that could be her roiling blood."

Drew Rowsome

"Diana Bentley is an intense Hedda who is contradictorily mercurial, shifting moods seemingly at random."

"It is a swirling maelstrom of competing passions" "Bentley makes it riveting."

"...Delves deeply and fearlessly into [Hedda's] instinctive feral reaction to boredom and repression."

OperaRamblings.blog

"Moya O’Connell’s direction and Diana Bentley’s stunning portrayal of Hedda keep us guessing right to the end and beyond about what makes Hedda who she is and what she is looking for."

"Bentley forces us to engage with what might be going on in her head through a performance that is powerful, nuanced and very physical."

"Qasim Khan is perfect as Jorgen Tesman."

"Fiona Reid... is also excellent."

"Doyle keeps us guessing."

" It’s two hours of compelling theatre that, I think, will work equally well for those very familiar with Ibsen and this piece and those new to it."

My Entertainment World

"Bentley’s Gabler has an electrifying stage presence that grabs your attention right away and grasps it tight until her final gunshot."
"[Bentley] is in her element" "I was left enthralled watching Hedda work her magic"

A View from the Box

"Expertly adapted by Liisa Repo-Martell and directed by Moya O’Connell, Hedda Gabler is a thrilling drama that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat."

"Joshua Quinlan’s set and costume design for Hedda Gabler is stunning."

"Emily Haines composed a score specifically for this production, and it was as if the music took on a character of its own. Ominous and disquieting, the music embodies the inner workings of Hedda’s mind, taking us down the dark rabbit holes of her past and present."

"Bentley is a terrifying and intimidating Hedda."

"Andrew Chown delivers a tortured and troubled Eilert Lovborg; his pain is so palpable and Chown brings out every nuance of that character."

"Leah Doz is back on the Coal Mine stage delivering a beautiful performance as Thea Elvsted." "Doyle oozes charisma as he weaves his way in out our of the lives of the other characters."