'The Scarlet Letter' comes alive

Typical of Nathaniel Hawthorne's style, the novel "The Scarlet Letter," like his play "Young Goodman Brown," examines a place where religion is infused into the consciousness of society. Starring in the play is Renee Racan as Hester Prynne and Eric Van Tielen as Arthur Dimmesdale, two people in love from afar and the parents of an illegitimate child, Pearl.\nThe entire play is narrated by the complicated yet dynamic Pearl, played by Melanie Derleth. The lonely and indignant child expresses her unhappiness by tormenting her mother, which makes Pearl seem like more of a punishment from God than a love child. \n"My nightmares began and ended with the letter 'A,'" Pearl said to the audience. \nPearl plays in a graveyard, a permanent part of the set that symbolizes the spiritual death of Hester, Pearl and Arthur upon Pearl's birth. \nHester's character quickly unfolds in the beginning of the play as she sits in a prison cell taunting the guard about the preciousness of the scarlet letter, an 'A' for adultery embroidered with expensive gold thread. Although it is a symbol of her undying love for Arthur and her pride in Pearl, the letter is also a curse. Hester is ostracized from society because she will not reveal the identity of Pearl's father, a well-respected minister, and she is forced to stand on a scaffold all day. Ironically, the scaffold used as punishment is the only place where the truth is revealed, freeing the characters of their spiritual imprisonment. \nBecause of Hester's pride, the townspeople tease and threaten Pearl. Hester's nightmare only gets worse when her ex-husband, assumed to be dead, comes to town as a doctor. The pressure is too much to bear and leads to a tragic ending. \nThe play, using the Phyllis Nagy adaptation of Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" and directed by Jonathan Michaelsen, does a wonderful job of distinguishing spirituality from religion. Although Roger Chillingworth, Hester's ex-husband, is an evil character, Scot Purkeypile, the actor portraying him, impressively illustrates the unhappiness and self-sacrificial tendencies of Arthur and Hester. He makes Arthur's and Hester's actions look silly and unnecessary as he mocks Arthur as a leader of the community, and he encourages the often incorrigible behavior of Pearl. \n"Full of regret and bitterness -- such leadership potential," Chillingworth said about Pearl.\nAlthough the cast comprises only seven actors, Nagy plays on words, using imagery to compensate for the lack of extras. For instance, when Chillingworth tries to blackmail Hester, his words represent the opinions of other townspeople that would have been standing around him. \n"You're famous Hester -- all New England will know your name." Chillingworth said as his hand glided through the air, alluding to people all around. \nIntense and compelling, the subject matter easily could test an audience's patience given the play's setting 300 years ago in a world without glamour. But with the scenery by Fred M. Duer and the work of lightning and sound designer Greg Benchley, the play came alive. The use of light in the play intensified its dramatic scenes, like when Arthur, Pearl and Hester are on top of the scaffold at the end of the first half. Light also enhances the power and judgement of Gov. Bellingham, played by Mike Mauloof. The most impressive use of light is during the first scene when light and shadow are used to create the bars of a jail cell. The combination of light and the use of the trap door transports the audience to a time 300 years ago and doesn't bring them back until the bitter end.