See it: 730pm, Friday, November 7 3pm, Saturday, November 8 730pm, Saturday, November 8 3pm, Sunday, November 9 730pm, Friday, November 14 3pm, Saturday, November 15 730pm, Saturday, November 15 3pm, Sunday, November 16
Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, with one 20-minute intermission ____________________________________________________________________________
Describing L.M. Montgomery’s book, "Anne of Green Gables," as a classic is simply stating the obvious, but the work – which was published exactly 100 years ago – is beloved of millions of readers.
Fans of this novel and its sequels may fixate a bit on all things Anne, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, given that this bright and lively girl with a flair for the grandiose is about as endearing as can be.
Even those who love the character only as a result of other media (films, television series, anime, stage musicals and more) are sure to have definite ideas about what the character and story should be like. IN the case of the current Playcrafters production, I think most of these fans would be pretty happy with the play ANNE OF GREEN GABLES as well. The script, "dramatized" by Joseph Robinette, tries to shoehorn the entire novel into a single play, which is a bit much, but it does capture the spirit of Montgomery’s best-known protagonist.
That’s not to say that the production at Playcrafters is perfect, for it certainly is not – but this show is bound to be a crowd-pleaser just the same.
Sydney Crumbleholme does very nice work in the title role, beginning from her very first lines to inhabit Anne’s melodramatic sensibilities. The overdone phrasing is annoying for about three minutes – max – and then you will find yourself engrossed in this young performer’s portrayal of the loquacious and infernally upbeat heroine that gives the show its name. Crumbleholme is only annoying when Anne is, and her expressive face shows the many emotions and ideas that continually spill out of Anne, too. Handling silliness and strong emotion with equal ease, Crumbleholme is quite good here.
Fine as her work is, however, Greg Bouljon’s irresistible turn as Matthew Cuthbert is the truly delightful portrayal that elevates every scene he is in to amazing heights. Bouljon and Crumbleholme do the most amazing work in their scenes together, and their stellar performances make the interactions of these "kindred spirits" truly wonderful. In fine form, this actor enlivens the shy bachelor farmer into something much richer than caricature, with amazing results. Bouljon is a pro, as many of you are aware, but this show may be his absolute best work to date.
Other fine performances include Karen Decker’s spinster-gruff Marilla and Carli Talbott’s sweet Diana Barry, and Jacob Turner does nice understated work as Gilbert Blythe. The jaw-droppingly-gorgeous Anastasiya Bauswell is so charismatic as Miss Susan Stacy that you’ll want to become a teacher on the spot, and Lin Sullivan makes a darling, totally crowd-pleasing Aunt Josephine.
Though the balance of the actors in this large cast aren’t all at the same level, there are none who stand out in a negative way, and director Donna Weeks handles staging of the large cast pretty well.
One of the major distractions in this ANNE is the set, which has large set pieces that often prove unwieldy. Most of the design (which is not credited in the program) looks really good, but frequent scene changes make this indulgence of excess all the more obvious. Going with simpler, streamlined set design would have smoothed many transitions here – and likely would have trimmed a good ten minutes off the running time of the preview I attended. (Sure, as the run of the show goes along, these scene changes will speed up, but some of the work is totally unnecessary.) The interior set at Green Gables could have extended further out onto the thrust stage, too, which would have provided more room for staging its scenes, and additional size would have made it look quite a bit more like a farmhouse.
Despite the too-much-set issue, many Anne fans and most family audiences will find plenty to charm them at this ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.
