Reviews of M. Butterfly

Somewhere there are audiotapes of B.D. Wong and John Lithgow's performances of M. Butterfly.  (The picture above is from Amazon.)

Here are some reviews of that version from 1988:

http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?html_title=&tols_title=M%20BUTTERFLY%20(PLAY)&pdate=19880321&byline=By%20FRANK%20RICH&id=1077011430660

http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=940DE7DA1039F933A25757C0A96E948260

You may also find this video about the making of this production to be interesting:

http://americantheatrewing.org/wit/detail/m_butterfly_04_88

For more reviews of the film that we saw, see these links:

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE7DD1E3AF932A35753C1A965958260

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19931008/REVIEWS/310080302/1023

Sean Axmaker's review dates from 2009, so he is reconsidering the film:

http://parallax-view.org/2009/05/26/m-butterfly-dvds-for-the-week/

How has M. Butterfly been revived over the years?

The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis staged this play in 2010.

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/04/24/guthrie-nails-m-butterfly

Chicago's Bohemian Theater Ensemble staged this play in 2008:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-04-11/entertainment/0804090243_1_gallimard-dr-jekyll-mr-hyde

http://www.windycitytimes.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=17898

The University of California at Irvine's version dates from 1994:

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-01-27/entertainment/ca-15743_1_m-butterfly

Our Arena Stage's version appeared in 2004:

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/dc/dc153.html

This is around the same time that LA's East West Players staged this play.  Their director was Chay Yew:

http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=12242

If you are interested in learning about David Henry Hwang's more recent work, here is a link to a 2007 interview with him:

http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=71564

Someday I will watch Farewell My Concubine, a Chinese film on a related topic.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC-_SLiRnJE

Reviews of Recent Productions of Hedda Gabler

Tonight I'd like to start posting links to reviews of recent productions.  I'll begin with Ibsen's Hedda Gabler.  The 2009 production starring Mary Louise Parker has produced a number of striking images.  Let's see what the critics thought of the performance itself.

The New Yorker's John Lahr weighs in here:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/theatre/2009/02/09/090209crth_theatre_lahr

The New York Times' Ben Brantley criticizes this production severely:

http://theater.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/theater/reviews/26bran.html

On the other hand, Brantley praises the touring production that starred Cate Blanchett:

http://theater.nytimes.com/2006/03/03/theater/reviews/03hedd.html

Here she is with Hugo Weaving (Judge Brack).


Hilton Als, however, is more skeptical, claiming that Blanchett is really playing 20th century actress Katherine Hepburn rather than Hedda.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/03/20/060320crth_theatre

Als preferred Glenda Jackson's Hedda.


For more about this film version, see this link:
http://lecinemadreams.blogspot.com/2011/01/hedda-1975.html

Surprise!  Surprise!  The film was released in theaters.  Patrick Stewart played Hedda's former lover, Lovborg.

Let's look at some other recent productions.



In 2009, Chicago's Raven Theater's production received much praise:

http://chicagotheaterblog.com/2009/05/08/review_raven-theatre_hedda-gabler/

Adrian Noble directed this British production just last year:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/7397799/Hedda-Gabler-at-the-Theatre-Royal-Bath-review.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/mar/08/hedda-gabler-theatre-royal-review



German director Thomas Ostermeier tries to answer the question of why a contemporary Hedda doesn't just leave Tesman and start over:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/feb/29/theatre1

More locally, the always-intriguing Washington Shakespeare Theater Company has staged this play:

http://dctheatrescene.com/2008/02/16/hedda-gabler/

The Philadelphia-area Mauckingbird Theater Company has imagined Hedda as a lesbian:

http://www.broadstreetreview.com/index.php/main/article/mauckingbirds_lesbian_hedda_gabler




I'll finish with a link to a review of an interesting 2007 production from Pittsburgh:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07170/795181-325.stm


See the link below for the entry with the plethora of video clips, including the one pictured below!

Link