By: Darryl Reilly
Angry red hues accompany the jolting stylized axe murders of that miserly old pawnbroker and her hapless half-sister in this entrancing theatrical presentation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic 1866 existential novel, Crime and Punishment. This 90-minute stripped down production is a glorious highlight of the second annual Phoenix Festival: Live Arts in Nyack; it is a diverse and ambitious performing arts program taking place in that scenic hamlet, now through October 22, 2023. Co-authors Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus’ faithfully and artfully condensed stage adaptation of the monumental sprawling literary work premiered in 2003 at the Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois, under the development of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.
Standing on a small stainless-steel bench, swinging down the axe is the lean, wiry and haunting Josh Tyson as the young, disaffected Saint Petersburg law school dropout, Raskolnikov. With his resonant voice, wide eyes and animated physicality, Mr. Tyson totally embodies the spirit of Dostoevsky’s fiery character who extolls those who are “extraordinary” and has contempt for those who are “ordinary.”
Radiating Columbo-style wiliness, the imposing and facially striking John Lenartz commands the stage with his rumbling vocalizing as the philosophical police inspector who doggedly pursues Raskolnikov for the murders despite a lack of evidence. Mr. Lenartz also gleefully plays several other male roles with equal impact, most forceful is his ne’er-do-well drunkard who suborns his daughter’s descent into prostitution to support him and their family.
Whether clad in black or wrapped in differing shawls, hunched over or standing tall, Elise Stone is majestic portraying several female characters including the tragic prostitute, the snarling pawnbroker and her benign half-sister, all with range and depth. Ms. Stone is one of the contemporary theater’s most accomplished performers, here she offers distinctively affective characterizations of those figures. These are achieved through Stone’s immense physical and vocal talents, alluring presence and innate charm.
Director Karen Case Cook’s vigorous in the round staging has the momentum, suspense and details of a police procedural combined with the psychological essence of the source material. Ms. Cook precisely and variably positions the cast on the bare stage in concert with just three small stainless-steel benches for a picturesque and absorbing presentation containing arresting stage pictures and gorgeous tableaus. Lighting designer Billy Schmidt’s panoply of dramatic hues perfectly complement the piece’s actions and emotional tones. Ellen Mandel’s piercing sound design renders the effects and crashing music with optimum results. Costume designer Debbi Hobson winningly clothes the company with period detail joined with timelessness. That ominous axe is a highlight of Buffy Cardoza’s smart props design.
Dostoevsky’s themes of life’s unfairness, gnawing poverty and human complexity, remain resonant and are evoked in this towering purely theatrical incarnation of Crime and Punishment.
Crime and Punishment (September 28 to October 1, 2023)
Phoenix Festival: Live Arts in Nyack
The Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave, Nyack, NY
For tickets and information, visit www.liveartsinnyack.com
Running time: 90 minutes without an intermission
I was thrilled to create music and sound for this brilliant play, with brilliant actors and a brilliant director. Joy working with such talent is unforgettable!