Foothills Theatre Company's current show is Nathaniel Hawthorne's
classic tale of guilt, sin and redemption, "The Scarlet Letter". Adapted
with a contemporary twist by playwright Phyllis Nagy, the play follows
the story of Hester Prynne, a young married woman who commits adultery
and bears a "love child'' after her husband is presumed lost at sea.
When her husband returns, Hester refuses to name the father, who happens
to be a minister in the community. As punishment, Hester is forced to
wear the letter "A" on her chest as a symbol of her shame, marking her
an adulteress. Set in Boston in the seventeenth century, the tale
becomes even more heated when Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth,
posing as a doctor, treats the ailing minister, Arthur Dimmesdale (the
father of Hester's baby). He grows suspicious that Dimmesdale is the
father and plans to exact his revenge on the fragile minister whose
secret has been hidden for seven years. Hester struggles to create a new
life of repentance and dignity by doing good deeds in the community.
The play is narrated by Hester's full grown daughter, Pearl who
describes her birth and plays the seven year old wild child who observes
the actions of the other characters while hidden in the woods. The town
represents a civilized world while the forest represents nature and all
the evil things that can happen away from the eyes of the town. Director
Jeremy Johnson chooses seven talented cast members to fill these roles
and they create a dramatic and overpowering story of the human spirit of
a woman who is shunned by this 17th Century society but who redeems
herself by her innate goodness and love of her daughter.
The acting prowess of these seven performers is astounding and
thrilling to watch. Dee Nelson is perfect as Hester Prynne. Her
mellifluous speaking voice captures the hearts of the audience from
start to finish. Dee embodies this character with the zest and power
needed whether she is speaking to her evil husband, bratty daughter,
weak willed lover, the governor, his sister who practices witchcraft and
the honest jailer. She commands the stage with her acting prowess,
delivering a splendid performance. Brava. Victor Warren plays the weak
willed hypocritical minister, Dimmesdale. He shows the man's inner
torment at betraying his lover and the character punishes himself by
wasting away for his crimes. At the end of the show, Dimmesdale redeems
himself by confessing his sins and by his immediate death cheats the
evil Chillingworth from tormenting him. Victor delivers the goods in
this role and his last speech electrifies the audience with his vocal
prowess. Another excellent performance is given by Eve Kagan as Pearl.
Her narration and transition into the seven year old is fantastic.
Eve holds the crowd's attention with her talented portrayal. Her spying
on the others while hidden in the forest as well as her crazed antics as
this wild child are riveting as is her eventual acceptance of her father
on the scaffold when Pearl is humanized at last.
The villain of the piece is Roger Chillingworth who knowingly wants
to destroy Hester's lover. The hunchbacked deformed man is well played
by Walter Mantani. His malevolent behavior oozes out of every pore of
his being. The current day audience despises the scene where he degrades
Hester by having her kneel, crawl to him, kiss his boots and then lick
them. (Thankfully he stopped her before she licked them.) His
comeuppance is delivered when Dimmesdale dies before he can torment him
anymore with his taunts and herbal remedies. The town of Boston is
portrayed by the three talented remaining cast members. The evil
Mistress Hibbins who knows many secrets and practices witchcraft in the
forest at night is played by Lisa Tucker. Her addlebrained brother,
Governor Bellingham who can't see beyond the end of his nose is played
by Dale Place. The honest man in the town who is also the jailer called
Master Brackett is played by Mark Cartier. He obtains many laughs in the
second act when he tries to help Dimmesdale out of the graveyard. So
for some powerhouse acting in a show about 17th Century Boston, be sure
to catch Foothills production of "The Scarlet Letter".
THE SCARLET LETTER ( 6 - 28 January, 2007)
Foothills Theatre, 100 Front Street, Worcester, MA 1 (508)
754-3314 or
www.foothillstheatre.com
