Vulture Lists Ibsen Gimmicks

Inspired by the current production of Mabou Mines DollHouse playing at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn -- an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in which all of the female characters are played by very tall women and all the male characters by little people under 4' tall -- New York mag's Vulture has compiled a list of some of other infamous Ibsen adaptations, all of which are identifiable by their ridiculous gimmicks.

The productions listed include two from the 2005 New York Fringe Festival and three wildly different versions of Hedda Gabler (including Heddatron, in which androids abduct a Michigan housewife and force her to perform Hedda Gabler, while five robots portray actors).

The rundown of ideas ranges from inspired to incredulous, but we're sure Vulture must have missed some. Can you think of any other Ibsen productions or adaptations that have taken a walk on the wild side? (Mary Louise Parker in the current Broadway production of Hedda Gabler doesn't quite count as a gimmick, we suppose.) Or, have you seen any of the listed productions? What did you think of the gimmicks involved?

Mabou Mines DollHouse is currently playing at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, having recently returned from a six-year world tour. Read the Back Stage review here.

-- Daniel Lehman