|
||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
![[Valid RSS]](images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
|
Crime and Punishment
spare, well-acted, powerful |
||
 |
||
| Crime and Punishment spare, well-acted, powerful | ||
| by Miryam Gordon -
SGN A&E Writer Crime and Punishment Intiman Theatre Through May 3 A production of Crime and Punishment being mounted at Intiman Theatre is a new production for Intiman, but an old production since the director and two of the three actors are the same in this show as the one produced at the now-defunct (and mourned) Capitol Hill Arts Center in 2007. Director Sheila Daniels is now associate director at Intiman. Intiman has chosen her and her production to begin their season. It's most fair to concentrate on this production, but Intiman is publicizing it partly by emphasizing the recreation, so it's mingled in Intiman's media presentations. One of the elements of the 2007 production that made it so successful an experience is impossible to recreate at Intiman, namely, the size of the room. The intimacy of that tiny space at CHAC created an intensity that was actually impossible to escape. It was like being trapped. It lent itself so immediately to reflection of the character of Raskolnikov, a man who has just murdered two people, but is confused about his own motives, and trapped by his own conscience into betraying himself. It was like crawling inside the character's mind, as he thinks. The room grew hotter and damper as the play continued, even in 90 minutes. With distance, the techniques of acting become more apparent. Galen Joseph Osier acts with great intensity. He is a man unhinged. At a distance of 50 or 100 or 200 feet, it is easier to keep oneself apart from his inner torment. Osier/Raskolnikov wants desperately for you to understand, but that desperation pushes back instead of pulling in. In a tiny space, Hana Lass was a revelation in several women's roles. She is a delicate actress, expressive in her eyes and face, small gestures creating many meanings. On the Intiman stage, she still vocally expresses each character distinctly, and the producton has used her real-time, unrecorded singing voice to accompany the staging with gorgeous effect. But, some of the distinctions between characters become less focused if you cannot see as many tiny moments. Sometimes, it was a little difficult to know which character she was at the moment; something that was not a problem at all in the tiny space. Todd Jefferson Moore is new to this production and brings a freshness and comic sarcasm to the main role of Porfiry, the detective, who seems to tease a confession out of Raskolnikov by getting inside his psyche and figuring out what makes him tick. Perhaps due to the upside-down idea that Moore was not in the prior performance, his character fits the size of the stage. One aspect in the large space is terrific: the lighting by Dans Mariee Sheehan, probably in conjunction with set effects by Carey Wong. There are areas where having money to put into productions pays big dividends. Yet, sometimes the sheer need to invent, in the tiny, poor theaters, brings great efforts to overcome monetary limitations. A salient feature of the 2007 production was the sound of canvas curtain hangers being dragged by hand over metal pipes. Compared to the 2007 production, this one suffers some in comparison. If you have not seen the 2007 version, this production could give a good solid sock in the stomach. It is spare, well-acted, and powerful enough to grab you. For more information, go to www.intiman.org or call 206-269-1900. Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com. |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information onthe Seattle Gay Blog |
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
|
||||||
: http://sgn.org/rss.xml | what is RSS? | 
use Google to set up your RSS feed
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2009
USA Gay News American News American Gay News USA American Gay News United States American Lesbian News USA American Lesbian News United States USA News