Brookelyn Hébert and John Mossman Photo by Joe Mazza/Brave Lux

Kevin Hagan's scenic design makes great use of the long, narrow Bookspan space at The Den Theatre, rendering the Tesmans' new home in such a way that the space narrows and rises as the audience's gaze moves upstage. Hagan has constructed the walls with fabric in a dark blue-green veined with gray, which not only conjures up wallpaper that likely exceeds the newlyweds' means, but also suggests marble or stone that lacks true warmth and contributes to the sense of claustrophobia.

The few furniture pieces are well chosen to further convey that the house has recently undergone a tasteful, expensive, and slightly imperfect makeover. We learn that on Hedda's orders, the maid has removed the slipcovers from the two straight-backed chairs that sit downstage by the stove, leaving the audience to see the empty space where slats or a woven backing ought to be. Similarly, when Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted stay up waiting for the men to return, they cover themselves with blankets (properties design by Randy Rozler) that look to be handmade with love and not at all up to to Hedda's standards.

Finally, Payne's blocking uses the cramped settee to great effect, whether the scene calls for the awkward comedy of people forced too close together by the cramped space or breathless closeness without benefit of privacy. On the whole, Rachel Levy's lighting design supports the impression that every move and every interaction within these walls constitutes a struggle.

Rachel Lambert's remarkable costumes also play well against the scenic design. Without exaggerating or overplaying the differences in personality and station, Lambert clearly and concisely lets the audience know that Tesman is well-meaning and respectable, but there's more than a little of the plodding, absent-minded professor about him. His lighter color palette and rougher textures contrast just the right amount with the dark, silky tones of the Judge, who is something of a Lothario, and Lovborg's subtly printed shirt and cravat impart the appropriate touch of the tortured poet.

Even more skillful are the women's costumes, starting with the gorgeous "housedress" in which Hedda first emerges. Lambert pairs a rose-gold, beaded underdress with a flowing, champagne-colored peignoir and unites the two with a corset at the waist. The overall effect is of Hedda as an almost otherworldly figure, particularly in contrast to Aunt Julia's sensible olive-and-black suit (and, of course, her unfortunate bonnet). Hedda's more formal dress is deep bronze satin, edged with black lace that has a most unusual hint of purple. The severe sweep, metallic color and this striking element also make for a subtle, yet unmistakable contrast to what Mrs. Elvsted, the governess turned mistress-of-the-house, wears.

Brookelyn Hébert is a compelling, thought-provoking Hedda. Early on, it seemed as if Payne and Hébert might have leaned a bit too forcefully into the class-based contempt the character has for her husband and his social circle, but these choices pay off as Hébert allows the character to be volatile and often bitterly unlikeable without ever risking losing the audience's sympathy.

Todd Wojcik is wonderful as Tesman. It's a character that can too easily lapse into something entirely bumpkinish or too earnest and good to be true. Beginning with a wonderful opening scene between him and Aunt Julle (Lynne Baker), Wojcik embraces Tesman's salt-of-the-earth, straightforwardly good aspects, yet shades this with the man's frustrating foibles and the unthinking ways in which he is reflexively difficult, demanding, or unkind as he dwells in the privilege of being a man.

John Mossman is engagingly skeevy as Judge Brack. Here, too, in his first scene with Hedda, it seemed as if the direction and/or acting choices might have taken a slightly wrong turn as the two certainly fall easily into the cruel snobbery of the elite. But as with Hébert's performance, Mossman pays this off late in the play with his bone-chilling, dead-eyed satisfaction at having maneuvered Hedda into his clutches.

The characters of Ejlert Lovborg (Dan Evashevski) and Thea Elvsted (Ariana Lopez) are a bit more challenging to pull forward in time than are the rest of the cast, so they don't benefit quite as much from O'Rowe's unique and enlightening adaptation. Both actors turn in good performances, with Evashevski leaning into the almost Byronic elements of Lovborg and letting the fascination he merits from both Hedda and Thea be rather absurd. Lopez is a bit stiff in her delivery at times, but this overall reads plausibly (and effectively) as her awareness that she is quite literally out of her league with Hedda paired with her anxiety over her fraught situation.

Both Lynne Baker and Laura Coleman (Berte, the Tesmans' maid) give such funny, warm performances that one wishes there were more room for these characters and these actors in the story. And beyond the humor, Baker's approach to her final run-in with Hedda, on the heels of her invalid sister's death, is powerful and moving.

Hedda Gabler, presented by The Artistic Home, runs through March 23, 2025, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit www.theartistichome.org/ or call 773-697-3930.