Anton Chekhov once famously opined, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." In Henrik Ibsen's 1890 classic Hedda Gabler, a pair of loaded pistols have indeed been introduced into the Tesman household, and they will be fired - it's just a matter of when, and by whom, and at whom.

Like Chekhov, Ibsen is widely regarded as one of the best playwrights of all time, yet performances of either are increasingly rare. Perhaps it's because their chosen genre, domestic realism, largely moved off the boards 60 years ago and onto the idiot box, where it goes by the pejorative "soap opera." We're so familiar with the structure of serial sudsers that jarring surprises and venal behavior elicit more chuckles than gasps. But we take our amusement where we can.

Which brings me to Riot to Follow's take on Hedda Gabler, an ambitious effort that eases its way into a frothy cloud of Mr. Bubble. The title character has often been called "the female Hamlet," but that's superficial; granted, the melancholy Dane has his perfect "self-slaughter" soliloquy, but his primary goal is vengeance against Claudius. Hedda Tesman (née Gabler), on the other hand, is a more ruthless character, at least as performed by Becca Mitchell. Hedda's been seen as anything from a victim of society to an embryonic feminist, but while Mitchell finds dozens of notes in her performance, they're all in the key of spiteful bitch. She overuses an exasperated groan ("Urgh!"), and I think I even heard a "bwahaha" - but don't get me wrong, it's a scenery chomp-and-stomp worthy of any nighttime soap villainess.

I caught the show in a "one-night-only" performance over a month ago, but now that same cast and company return for a two-night run. In August Amy Shephard raced through her lines in Act I, but slowed to greater effect near the end. It's good to find her essaying a role so far out of type. Ben Coppin is suitably muted as Jørgen, Hedda's pawn of a husband, and Tod Davies gives Jørgen's rival Ejlert Løvborg a twitchy energy reminiscent of a coked-out Art Garfunkel. And yes, sharp-eyed reader, I did use three slashed O's in one sentence; ain't Norwegian grand?

Make no mistake, the first few scenes are tough going. Those Scandinavian names are so alien that even the actors confused them more than once. But what really sets this show on its rails is Tyler Lockwood's wonderfully hammy (and I'm using that as a compliment) portrayal of Judge Brack. Lockwood packs real chops and a killer stage voice into his slight frame. I praised his frat boy characterization of Oren Scrivello in Riot's Little Shop last spring, but that was merely a warm-up for the smirking, diabolical horndog he plays here. With Riot to Follow's nonexistent budget, Lockwood's pas de deux with Mitchell provide much-needed special effects. Director Matt Hatfield wisely drops any pretense of mundane realism when these two go at it.

Hedda Gabler

Oct. 22-23, 8:30 p.m., free,
Riot to Follow Productions
The Evergreen State College, SEM II, C4107, Olympia
360.867.6098