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Burlesque, tango dancing, circus tricks: all things not commonly associated with Ibsen’s tragedy Hedda Gabler—until this weekend, that is, when Washington Ensemble Theatre(WET) presents the world premiere of blahblahblahBANG (a pistol fit in one act), a new look at the classic. Using the oldest translation they could find, WET enlisted ensemble member/sound designer/poet Matt Starritt to rewrite it. The new script takes a look at Hedda’s inner life during her “mental decline,” and while the story may not have changed, the way it’s being told has. The show is “movement intense,” says director Jennifer Zeyl; actors can and do literally run up the walls. “The ensemble delivers something like performance art. . . regional theatre wouldn’t touch this with a ten-foot pole.”
Dec. 13-17, 8 p.m., 2007