Anna Karenina

Adapted from Leo Tolstoy

By Helen Edmundson

Directed by Elizabeth Carlin-Metz

Produced by Vitalist Theatre of Chicago

At The Theatre Building Chicago

1225 W. Belmont Ave

Chicago, IL

Call 773-327-5252, tickets $22

Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 Pm

Sundays at 2:30 PM

Running time 2 hrs, 50 min with intermission

Through November 13, 2005

Anna Karenina is ambitious and stylish

Vitalist Theatre of Chicago mounts large scale epic works and they mostly succeed producing worthy shows. Anna Karennia is a stylish epic that achieves some success. This overly long (the first act was 90 minutes); at times rambling mounting of Leo Tolstoy treasured novel has its moments of brilliance but laborers under its own weight. Serious editing needs to be done here and a quicker pace and snapper scene changes would serve this weight piece well. As it stands now, Anna Karenina tests the patience of the audience and becomes an endurance battle. That is not to say that this show isn’t worth you time—it is, but I’m preparing you for effort you’ll need to enjoy this epic.

Featuring fine ensemble work with most actors playing multiple roles, Anna Karenina unfolds and sounds like those 1950-60’s epic films with stars like Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, and James Mason. These wordy complex films either enchant audiences or bore them to tears. The same applies here. I was captured with the style, look and subject matter and enjoyed the show.

I liked the poise, articulation and emotionally range of Kelly Lynn Hogan’s Anna Karenina. She displayed the sensuality, charm, angst and guilt of the troubled wife-mother turned adulteress. Hogan reminds me of a young Audrey Hepburn in War & Peace. She was the best actor in this play.

Unfortunately, director Elizabeth Carlin-Metz miscast a key role that greatly hindered the production. Vincent L. Lonergan, a reliable actor wasn’t believable as the cold-blooded, cynical, dominating husband Karenin. Lonergan plays Karenin as a school teacher type who scolds and waves a finger at Anna. We don’t buy him as the nasty, manipulating dominant figure who views Anna as a trophy and personal possession. He is supposed to drive her to drugs and suicide. Lonergan plays him as a too nice guy.

Winston Evans gave an emotional full Levin, Anna’s opposite yet alike personality. If Evans would slow down a count or two and articulate his words more distinctly, we’d like him more. At times, I couldn’t understand him as he either spoke too fast or dropped the last word or two of a phrase. Once he internalizes Levin, he’ll be fine. Rom Barkhordar as Stiva Vassily (my choice to play Karenin) and John Arthur Lewis as Vronsky were excellent.

The set serves the play well and the brash lighting at time was over done and the constant opening and closing of the shutters on the back wall became irritating. The blocking and staging was clever and served the piece well. With authentic 1877 dress, Anna Karenina plays like PBS Sunday afternoon special. Filled with raw passion, personal betrayal and loads of guilt, this tale of love, marriage and adultery offers a look into the moral regeneration of Czarist Russia.  It needs more passion and more complex (and nasty) Karenin to give Anna’s self-destruction more motivation. We just don’t buy the depth of her guilt.

With many excellent moments and some deft staging, Vitalist Theatre of Chicago’s production delivers enough to satisfy. They came close to marvelous show. Kudos to their effort. Those who love a grand story will enjoy Anna Karenina.

Recommended

Tom Williams

Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments

September 12, 2005