Henrik Ibsen

Dear Henrik Ibsen,

I love you. You wrote plays that are witty, scandalous, dry, Victorian, Norwegian, dark and let women mess around with the "gender spheres" of their time. Hedda Gabler is my favorite play and I have now performed parts of it, seen Ingrid Bergman play her (and Michael Redgrave was Jorgen!), and seen it live (thanks to the Roundabout Theatre) with Mary Louise Parker-- all = <3's.

I have recently watched Ghosts and I am also loving that ish, boo. Your hair reflected the craziness in your head that it genius. I wanna blow kisses to Norway in your honor. Check that. Just did.

I like that you let the women take control and the powerful men are always evil, that's good.

Just the "cock of the walk" "killing time"..."1000 thanks" sir. (If you don't get these references read Hedda and Ghosts)

I hope to see more productions of your work and guaranteed I'm going to read that beautiful, sexy collection.

All of my love,

Alexis :)

(Ingrid (1963) and Mary Louise (2009) as Hedda)

(Natasha Richardson and Kenneth Branagh in the 1987 BBC Production of Ghosts)

Network

"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Byron wanted to watch Network tonight, so we all did. It was really good, but lengthy. I didn't realize that the lead character... well more the crazy dude, is Peter Finch.
I like Peter Finch based on a movie I discovered while I was (and really still am) obsessed with Anne Bancroft. The film is The Pumkin Eater. It is about a woman with a quiverful of children who has an affair and marries the man. It is about the insanity that life's everyday trials and tribulations. The film deals with extra marital affairs, abortion, death, children, work, insanity, sterilization and various other relationships. It's pretty trippy, as most Pinter scripts are.

Harold Pinter passed away in 2008. He was a talented playwright and screenwriter. If you haven't read any of his plays, you should. If you can't get your hands on any of them, buy the VHS of The Pumpkin Eater and challenge your brain to accept the genius that he embodied and expelled. Also, check out a spectacular achievement in acting thanks to Anne Bancroft.

Hedda Gabler

"Well, I shall have one ... thing at least to kill time with in the meanwhile."- Hedda Gabler referring to her pistols


I am TRULY excited! I just got back from NYC (on a family trip that I will get to), and I cannot wait to go back and see Heinrik Isben's Hedda Gabler
I am venturing to NYC with my Nana and my Grandma (Nana is in orange and Grandma is in white and blue).

Hedda Gabler is my favorite dramatic play. It is a strong feminine character and the play itself caused riots when it was first released. Great actresses have portrayed Hedda: Sarah Bernheart, Ingrid Bergman, Cate Blanchett and now Mary-Louise Parker!

I first discovered the play in acting class at Salisbury University.
My acting teacher selected parts for each of us and I was to learn one of the scenes between Hedda and Judge Brack. It was my moment of glory. I got to be a bitch. It was fantastic.
The whole play revolves around Hedda and her household. She is a woman who is caught in the 19th century female sphere, but does not desire anything it provides. She longs to be in control of herself, her world and people around her. At the time, this was considered immoral and completely wrong. When Isben's play opened in Italy, it caused riots and people rejected it. It now is famous and revered.
I love this play. My parents gave me the BBC version from 1962 starring Ingrid (of course!) and Michael Redgrave.

My former professor and now employer, Sarah, saw the version with Cate Blanchett. I remembered reading about this version in the NYtimes when I was researching how to play it for class. I was supremely jealous until one night this September. I was looking at tickets for Christopher Durange's production of The Marriage of Bette and Boo, a play in which I was the character, Emily Brennan, when we did a production in college. I scrolled around the site and then I saw that the Roundabout Theatre would be reviving the play with a dude from Fargo and MLP!
I ran into my sister's room at 2am and told her that I was going to go.

Well, my dreams are coming true. My Mom bought a ticket for me and 2 for my grandmothers. It should be an original way to branch generations. I cannot wait to hear what they have to say about the play! I gave my Grandma a copy of the play to read. She said last night that she has yet to read it. IF she doesn't finish it by that Friday, I will make her read it AND do a book report on the play. Maybe a plot chart, character chart, summary and text analysis... just like my class with Robert Smith... or more specifically-- Like when my GRANDMA made me SIT INSIDE on the LAST DAY OF SUMMER before 7th grade to do a book report on Anne of Green Gables. Payback Grandma. Payback.

I cannot wait to see this play live. I have been waiting for years and I feel like Mary-Louise Parker will do the part justice.

I will let you all know how it stands up!

My trip to NYC was amazing. My family and I went to Philadelphia first to play a little mini-beer pong and to watch the Eagles innailate the Cowboys. Though I'm a fan of neither team, I enjoy watching the Cowboys get spanked and my family happy.


Erin playing beer pong... I beat her though! (I took the pic)

Sanitary, no. Fun, yes.

In NYC we went to the MoMA, the Radio and Television Museum (where Erin caught up on some PBS Anne of Green Gables...hahaha) as well as shopping on Canal Street, eating in the Village and Shopping in SoHo. Erin and I went to Mama Mia and my parents went to see Jersey Boys all of which we enjoyed.
Erin and I also saw some stand up comedy, for free, at the Upright Citzens Brigade Theatre. LOVED IT!
Times Square was crazy due to it being just before the New Year's celebration. I met someone special in Times Square... we already had a relationship, but we needed to make it more official.


Elmo and Lex!


I had to take a picture of this, because they quoted Ingrid Bergman's daughter, Pia Lindstrom, who was a famous New York news reporter. I just found it funny that a play based on ABBA's music had Swedish-Americans quoted.



This is Giovanni. We met him on the train into the city. He told us that he had "chacolate" but what he was talking about was gum, he just didn't know the word for "chicle!"
He was a friendly little guy and was really excited about the train.

That is all for now. My trip was also exaughsting. haha.