Reviews 2004
Reviews 2004
✭✭✩✩✩
by Marshall Borden, directed by Andrey Tarasiuk
Stratford Festival, Avon Theatre, Stratford
June 2-Oct 30, 2004
“All Buckle, No Swash”
Last year as part of what Stratford calls its “Family Experience”, the Festival presented an adaptation of a 19th-century French novel, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The frequent depictions of violence not to mention the poor quality of the writing, acting and direction led many to call this the worst show Stratford had ever mounted. Undaunted, this year as part of its “Family Experience”, the Festival presents another adaptation of a 19th-century French novel, “The Count of Monte Cristo”. On the plus side there is nothing so bad in it, as in “Hunchback”, that one should actively avoid it. On the minus side there is nothing so good in it that would compel anyone to see it.
The novel “The of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, père, appeared in installments during 1844-45. In book form it runs to almost 1500 pages. Dumas’ own adaptation of the novel in 1848 turned it into a ten-act play to be performed over two evenings. American actor and director Marshall Borden’s adaptation runs a little over two hours. Obviously, much has to be omitted, but what Borden has omitted--cleverness of language, depth of character, development of theme--are all the qualities that might make the play worth seeing.
Briefly, the young sailor Edmond Dantes receives the dying request from his captain to deliver a letter from Napoleon exiled on Elba to Bonapartist agents in France. Though apolitical himself, he does so to honour the captain’s wishes. This leaves him prey to enemies in France. Danglars wants Dantes out of the way to become captain. Fernand wants Dantes dead because he loves Edmond’s fiancée Mercedes. Villefort wants to remove Edmond because only Dantes knows Villefort’s brother, “procureur” under Louis XVIII, is a Bonapartist agent. Their combined villainies lead Dantes to be falsely imprisoned for fourteen years in the infamous Château d’If. After learning the location of a fabulous treasure, Dantes finally escapes the prison and armed with the treasure and a new name, the “Count of Monte Cristo”, he proceeds to wreak vengeance on the men who ruined his life.
The prime interest in the novel is fascination with a man who believes he is acting the role of divine justice. The Dantes of Dumas calls himself the “Hammer of God” and says he will bring “salvation” to Mercedes. Over ten years this Dantes insinuates himself into his enemies’ lives so that their punishment seems to occur of its own accord. Danglars falls into poverty and ages prematurely, Fernand commits suicide and Villefort goes mad.
All this is lost in Borden’s adaptation. Borden’s pedestrian text is primarily preoccupied with getting through the plot. There is the odd bon mot but no time for the psychology of characters that might draw one into the story or for the theme of divine providence that might make one think the story were worth telling. The result is a production that is pretty to look at but ultimately dull. On stage action consists mostly of people writing, reading and delivering letters. Children who want to be letter carriers when they grow up might find this interesting. Or perhaps the incongruous scene at a party where Dantes tries to bankrupt Danglars through use of carte blanche may intrigue budding financiers. The dispatch of the three villains comes not through Dantes' cunning but through three quick duels at the end. Except for these, the vast majority of the play hardly lives up to the adjective “swashbuckling” used to promote it.
Theoretically, the progress of a man from bright, innocent youth to cold-hearted avenger could provide a tour de force of acting. But even this potential is ruined by dividing the role between David Snelgrove as the young Dantes before incarceration and Brad Rudy as the older Dantes who escapes. Each plays his half of the role well, but the interest in seeing one actor’s transformation is lost. Snelgrove has some compensation in also playing Albert, Dantes’ hot-headed son and does distinguish him from the young Dantes.
Among the three villains, only one stands out--Andy Velásquez as Fernand, the future Count of Morcerf. His younger self seethes with rage; his older self has learned how to hide it, but the sense of his unpredictability remains. Neither Jeffrey Renn as Danglars nor Donald Carrier as Villefort have enough intensity to make his character noteworthy, let alone villainous, and neither suggests the passage of 35 years.
Borden’s miserly script tends to dole out only one personality trait per character. Robert King is all wry impertinence as Villefort’s brother Noirtier and Dana Green is all endless worry as Dantes fiancée Mercedes. Andrew Massingham overdoes it as the drunken innkeeper Caderousse as does Brigit Wilson as his nagging wife Carconte. On the other hand, Thom Marriott creates a good Dickensian portrait as the flustered ship-owner Morel and Joseph Shaw in his 22nd season at Stratford sounds the single note of poignancy of the evening as the dying prisoner Abbé Faria.
Guido Tondino has devised an ingenious set that can quickly transform itself from ship to inn to prison although his decision to make the set an island on the stage means the acting space is limited especially given a cast of 30. François St-Aubin has designed the attractive period costumes. Robert Thomson creates a golden glow for the scenes in the inn, but has drenched the rest of the play in an unrelieved haze of dark blue. Berthold Carrière has composed an accompanying score for synthesizer in the symphonic style now used in Hollywood blockbusters. Director Andrey Tarasiuk has paced and blocked the action well but adds nothing to compensate for the script’s deficiencies,
Unlike last year’s “Hunchback”, there is nothing in “Monte Cristo” to offend. If the idea of the “Family Experience” shows is to introduce children to the theatre, this production is likely to teach children the sad lesson that plays can be boring. To prefer these half-baked adaptations to real plays is like preferring Classics Illustrated comics to the novels themselves. Rather than this, what Stratford should focus on for families are excellent productions of excellent plays.
©Christopher Hoile
Note: This review is a Stage Door exclusive.
Photo: Brad Rudy as Edmond Dantes. ©2004 Guido Tondino.
2004-06-04
The Count of Monte Cristo