This award-winning adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s famous novel is a thrilling 90-minute psychological inquiry into the troubled mind of a murderer. Dive into the greatest crime story ever written, a tale of murder, motive and redemption that plumbs the depths of the human soul. Written for only three actors, Crime and Punishment stars Michael Trevino (CW’s Roswell, New Mexico; The Vampire Diaries) as Raskolnikov, with Lola Kelly (Circle X, Chance Theatre, SCR, REDCAT) and Brian Wallace (End of the Rainbow at La Mirada, Cash on Delivery at the El Portal) playing all the other characters. “Engrossing theater… will banish any bad memories you might have of trying to struggle through Dostoyevsky’s book” — The New York Times. April 26 thru May 26, Edgemar Center for the Arts, 437 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405; $25; (323) 960-7822; www.OnStage411.com/Crime
Crime and Punishment
Critics
LemonMeter
Reviews: 5
Reviews
Peter Richards directs Michael Trevino as Raskolnikov, with his portrayal being one of the most intense I have ever seen on the stage. All at once, you will feel sorry for the poor, starving man who can't catch a break or find a job, living in a squalid one-room basement invested with rats. And yet, even though he gives the last of his money to a poor family who cannot afford to bury its patriarch, he still reasons with himself as to why he had to kill two sisters in his building. And just like him, from the beginning we know he committed the murders but not why. Trevino morphs between reality and the fantasy worlds in which he imagines he wanders, often not realizing what is the truth.
I would recommend this show as an introduction to Dostoievsky's world. By all means, go see it — then read the novel and realize how much bigger this story is than what you've seen here.
Mr. Trevino dominates in a whirlwind of emotion as he prowls the stage hunched and anguished in his guilt and resentment. His head bends and shakes in desperation. He has more tender moments with the female characters, except for the hunched old pawnbroker. His emotional anguish surges out as in a Greek tragedy, when the corresponding emotions of sorrow and pity infects those in the audience.
This new Crime and Punishment is an actor's vehicle, and it managed to connect powerfully with the audience, thanks to the masterful work by Trevino and Wallace.
Clocking in at a cool 90 minutes and featuring only three actors, this version boils the classic tale down to the essentials, while still preserving the cat-and-mouse dynamic the source material is so known for. This adaptation is currently being produced by Working Barn Productions at Santa Monica's Edgemar Center for the Arts and incorporates an interesting use of live camera feeds projected on stage to add further dimension to the story.
Peter Richards directs Michael Trevino as Raskolnikov, with his portrayal being one of the most intense I have ever seen on the stage. All at once, you will feel sorry for the poor, starving man who can't catch a break or find a job, living in a squalid one-room basement invested with rats. And yet, even though he gives the last of his money to a poor family who cannot afford to bury its patriarch, he still reasons with himself as to why he had to kill two sisters in his building. And just like him, from the beginning we know he committed the murders but not why. Trevino morphs between reality and the fantasy worlds in which he imagines he wanders, often not realizing what is the truth.
I would recommend this show as an introduction to Dostoievsky's world. By all means, go see it — then read the novel and realize how much bigger this story is than what you've seen here.
Mr. Trevino dominates in a whirlwind of emotion as he prowls the stage hunched and anguished in his guilt and resentment. His head bends and shakes in desperation. He has more tender moments with the female characters, except for the hunched old pawnbroker. His emotional anguish surges out as in a Greek tragedy, when the corresponding emotions of sorrow and pity infects those in the audience.
This new Crime and Punishment is an actor's vehicle, and it managed to connect powerfully with the audience, thanks to the masterful work by Trevino and Wallace.
Clocking in at a cool 90 minutes and featuring only three actors, this version boils the classic tale down to the essentials, while still preserving the cat-and-mouse dynamic the source material is so known for. This adaptation is currently being produced by Working Barn Productions at Santa Monica's Edgemar Center for the Arts and incorporates an interesting use of live camera feeds projected on stage to add further dimension to the story.