Little Women

C+

Keeping up with Kate Hamill’s recreations of classic novels has been a case of diminishing returns. Her take on Sense & Sensibility with Bedlam was sheer joy and set the bar very high. I missed Vanity Fair but was disappointed in Pride and Prejudice for lacking the inventiveness of her earlier Austen adaptation. For me, this reworking of Alcott, in a Primary Stages production at the Cherry Lane Theatre, is another downward step. Hamill’s version is almost bipolar, with a first act that is basically faithful to Alcott but a second act that is more Hamill than Alcott. She significantly alters the character and fate of Jo, omits a key character, manages to make Amy completely unsympathetic and drops an interesting thread relating to Laurie’s sexuality. On the plus side, the play provides meaty roles for two exciting young actors — Kristolyn Lloyd (Blue Ridge) as Jo and Nate Mann (fresh out of Juilliard) as Laurie. Her sisters Meg, Beth and Amy are played respectively by Hamill, Paola Sanchez Abreu (The Wolves) and Carmen Zilles (Small Mouth Sounds). Hamill’s Meg was disappointing, Abreu’s Beth was serviceable and Zilles’s Amy was relentlessly annoying. Michael Crane (Gloria) is fine as Brooks and Dashwood but inspired as a parrot (more about that later). John Lenartz (Inherit the Wind), who also plays Mr. Laurence, and Maria Elena Ramirez (Fish in the Dark), who also plays Aunt March, are solid as the girls’ parents and Ellen Harvey (Present Laughter) is fine as Hannah and Mrs. Mingott. Except for the fact that Jo is dressed in men’s clothes from the beginning, the first act stays fairly close to the book. It is wildly uneven, with scenes ranging from touching to leaden. I doubt there were many dry eyes in the house when the March family is reunited at Christmas. After intermission, things go seriously astray. A scene for Aunt March, Jo and Amy includes the parrot, which is good for a few laughs, but seems completely incongruous with everything else. Amy’s act of spite against Jo, invented by Hamill, was hard to believe. As in the book, I found it difficult to grasp how someone attracted to Jo could also be attracted to Amy. The extra burden of feminism placed on Jo essentially changes Alcott’s message. The two-level set by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams fills in the framework of the March home with a minimum of furnishings. Valerie Therese Bart’s period costumes are fine. Sarna Lapine’s (Sunday in the Park with George) direction occasionally lets scenes lag. If you love Alcott’s novel, you will probably enjoy the first act. If you are expecting an experience as bracing as one of Hamill’s Austen adaptations, you will probably be disappointed. Running time: two hours five minutes, including intermission.

Pride and Prejudice

B-

I wish I could say that Kate Hamill’s latest adaptation of a Jane Austen novel was as successful as her delightful version of Sense & Sensibility at the Gym at Judson last year. While the present work offers many pleasures, it lacks the air of lighthearted effortlessness that made that work so enjoyable. Instead, we get a frenetic pastiche of slapstick comedy, anachronisms and crossdressing that tries much too hard to entertain. This production originated at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival where I can see it working much better outdoors on a warm summer night. Five of the hard-working cast of eight play multiple roles. Mark Bedard (Fashion for Men) is a standout in all three of his roles — Mr. Collins, Ms. Bingley and Mr. Wickham. Amelia Pedlow (The Liar, The Heir Apparent), a lovely Jane, also plays Miss DeBourgh. John Tufts makes a strong impression as both Bingley and Mary. Chris Thorn is fine both as Mr. Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. Kimberly Chatterjee (The Christians) is strong as Lydia and Lady Catherine. Nance Williamson is an amusing Mrs. Bennet. Jason O’Connell (Sense & Sensibility) is a nuanced Mr. Darcy. Surprisingly Kate Hamill’s (Sense & Sensibility) Lizzy is disappointing; she comes across mainly as a sourpuss. Some of the anachronisms were jarring for me, e.g. dancing to music from Star Wars. The  audience appeared to be having a good time. If you are not measuring it against Hamill’s earlier work, you probably will too. In John McDermott’s (Sense & Sensibility) set design, the stage is stripped down to brick walls and lined with period chairs, tables, a piano and, for no apparent reason, a gramophone. The costumes, by Tracy Christensen (Sunset Boulevard), look appropriate for summer stock. Amanda Dehnert’s brisk direction includes a bit of audience participation. Running time 2 1/2 hours including intermission.

Sense & Sensibility ****

Bedlam is a theater group that presents “creative reappraisals of the classics.” Their bracing version of Jane Austen’s first novel is now playing at The Gym at Judson. Kate Hamill’s ingenious adaptation offers sheer delight with its creative stagecraft, lively exuberance, clever storytelling and fine acting. The talented cast of ten, some doubling and even tripling roles, vividly bring Austen’s characters to life. Andrus Nichols has the right gravitas for Elinor Dashwood and Hamill is appropriately overwrought as her sister Marianne. Jason O’Connell as both Edward Ferrars and his brother Robert, John Russell as John Willoughby and Edmund Lewis as Colonel Brandon are all fine. The other actors (Laura Baranik, Samantha Steinmetz, Jessica Frey, Stephan Wolfert and Gabra Zackman) are equally able. One clever scene has two actors simultaneously portraying two pairs of sisters. John McDermott’s set features four full-length windows, a door frame, a sofa, a few tables and numerous chairs, all mounted on casters that allow them to be moved around the stage by the actors with near-dizzying speed. Angela Huff’s period costumes, hidden below modern clothes at the opening, fit in with the spirit of the production. Director Eric Tucker deftly keeps everything under control. It all makes for a very enjoyable experience. Running time: 2 1/2 hours including intermission. NOTE: The show is going on a two-month hiatus soon but will reopen in mid-June and run through September. For information see bedlam.org.