And just what do they have in common, you might ask? (And\u00a0should<\/em>.) Cute actor Michael Trevino. (Come on now, do you think I would review a downer like this story without an attractive guy to look at?) I give him tons of props for doing this stage version of the classic novel, Crime and Punishment<\/em>,\u00a0at this point in his career; if\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0was starring on a TV show, I would\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>want to spend my hiatus doing something this heavy. I actually wouldn\u2019t want to do it\u00a0under any<\/em> circumstances! But that\u2019s just me.<\/p>\n Brian Wallace and Michael Trevino. Photo by Ed Krieger, as is the one at the top of this page. (And for the record, the actual presentation is far from as colorful as these pix; it’s mainly just gray and ecru, even their faces!)<\/p><\/div>\n Just in case I\u2019m the\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0person who watches\u00a0Roswell, New Mexico<\/em>, (like they needed to add the\u00a0state<\/em>\u00a0to that title, right?,) it\u2019s basically a show about good-looking aliens in their late twenties. And the humans who love them, of course. (It\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0on The CW!) And Michael plays a doctor on it, who loved the smart girl in high school, and now she loves someone else. (Again\u2014CW.) And at the after-party for Crime and Punishment<\/em>, he told me that the series got renewed for next year. So, yay to that.<\/p>\n Now let\u2019s get to what I thought of\u00a0this play that\u2019s currently running at the Edgemar Center in Santa Monica. There\u2019s a reason I never read the book\u2014it\u2019s way too depressing.\u00a0 And long.\u00a0 Five hundred forty-five pages long, to be exact! Even with my 147IQ, there\u2019s no way I could ever get through it.<\/p>\n So I thank Working Barn Productions for finally filling this gap in my literary education. And for making it sort-of the CliffsNotes version of\u00a0Crime and Punishment<\/em>. I give the play\u2019s adapters, Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, a lot of credit\u00a0for this hour and a half uber-condensed presentation of the saga because I couldn\u2019t even unravel the characters<\/em> on the novel\u2019s Wikipedia page in just ninety minutes!!! They cut an incredibly complicated roster of over twenty-two characters down to just seven.<\/p>\n Michael Trevino and Lola Kelly. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n But that means that this brief adaptation shed no light on the tale for me, although it is<\/em> an interesting enough character study. What they narrowed the entire narrative down to is akin to saying\u00a0Gone With The Wind<\/em>\u00a0is the story of a selfish girl who never goes hungry. But it does work on some levels, especially for people who have read the book or seen any of the dozen of old film versions of Crime and Punishment<\/em>. I think it would definitely<\/em> help to know the scenario going in. I did\u00a0not<\/em>, and I was really lost. I had no idea what was going on for at least half of the show, especially because the production seemed to begin in the middle of the tragedy. (And I was correct about that.)<\/p>\n But I do<\/em> appreciate that they made this play much less complicated than it\u00a0could<\/em>\u00a0have been by having it all be acted by just\u00a0three actors, even though two of them play multiple characters.\u00a0 (Good thing that period of history and location of very old school Russia were not colorful ones, so there are no big costume changes required. A different shawl or head scarf pretty much does the trick.)<\/p>\n Brian Wallace and Michael Trevino. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s apparent that Brian Wallace, who plays the police investigator, (or something like that,) is the most accomplished stage actor of the trio. Lola Kelly, the lone female, is a redhead, and you know I always support my fellow gingers.<\/p>\n One big bonus of this presentation is giant projections of the\u00a0actors\u2019 faces from time to time, provided by small, unobtrusive cameras right on the sparse set; they are not only helpful, but interesting. There\u2019s most likely an artsy reason for that theatrical device, bit it escaped me. Beyond that, the Edgemar is not a big theatre, so I\u2019m sure the audience members in the further back rows really appreciate being able to see the\u00a0facial expressions\u00a0so magnified, especially in such a psychological drama.<\/p>\n Lola Kelly and Michael Trevino. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n The bottom line for this version of\u00a0Crime and Punishment<\/em>\u00a0is that the people who I believe will enjoy it most are intellectuals. Or more likely in this town, pseudo-intellectuals. Or fans of The CW.\u00a0 No judgment from me, either way.<\/p>\n I especially give this company props for throwing a lovely opening night post-show reception. Not every theatre does that anymore, which is a shame for the actors and crew to not be able to be feted after so much work. Everyone was in a festive mood, added to by the lovely assortment of treats on offer. And whoever put the table together was even thoughtful enough to put signs on each dish, telling us just what they were. I really appreciated that.<\/p>\n Even though\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0won\u2019t get a post-show reception when you see\u00a0Crime and Punishment<\/em>, there are so many possibilities of activities to add to your theatre experience at this site. Not only is the Edgemar an interesting, intimate theatre, but its Main Street location in Santa Monica is a\u00a0great area to explore before or after the show. There are all kinds of eateries, from upscale to just snacks, and even many of the stores stay open late. And you can gear up for the show, or cheer yourselves up after it, with drinks at one of the many hip bars on that one street.<\/p>\n Just brush-up on the tale beforehand, so you\u2019ll be up to speed from the get-go.<\/p>\n Crime and Punishment<\/em>\u00a0running through May 26, 2019<\/strong> CRIME AND PUNISHMENT How often do I get to include\u00a0Dostoyevsky\u2019s\u00a0Crime and Punishment\u00a0and The CW\u2019s\u00a0Roswell, New Mexico\u00a0in the same sentence??? (This is the first, and I\u2019m sure\u00a0only, time, of course.) And just what do they have in common, you might ask? (And\u00a0should.) Cute actor Michael Trevino. (Come on now, do you think I would review a<\/p>\n![\"Michael](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/CnP_0373.jpg\")
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\n Edgemar Center for the Arts \u00a02437 Main Street \u00a0Santa Monica 310-392-7327<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0www.edgemarcenter.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"