NY Review: 'The Count of Monte Cristo'

Alexander Dumas’ adventure tale “The Count of Monte Cristo” has captured audiences’ imaginations since it was first published in 1844, and gone on to inspire numerous stage and film adaptations. Now, James Behr, serving as composer, book writer and lyricist, has put his own stamp on this story of a man who plots a cunning revenge on the petty men who had him falsely imprisoned. There’s ambition aplenty in his work. But this throwback to the poperas of the 1990s, which co-director Grant Kretchik explained was a workshop presentation during a pre-show speech at the tuner’s first performance, proves to be an often tedious endeavor.

One of the production’s chief problems becomes apparent as soon as theatergoers hear the first notes of Behr’s score, which fuses the sounds of composers ranging from Verdi to Stephen Sondheim. Rather than being played live (even by a single piano), the music is offered up in a fully orchestrated, tinny MIDI recording. Behr, who’s also created the orchestrations, clearly has talent when it comes to selecting instruments to play his melodies, but the use of a taped soundtrack means that the performers are forced to keep pace, in the most inorganic way possible, with the equivalent of a musical taskmaster for nearly two-and-a-half hours.

Further undermining the show—and any real assessment of its merits—are the thin voices of many of the performers, particularly Brandon Conteras as hero Edmond Dantès, a sailor, who ultimately becomes the titular count after escaping from Château D’if after 14 years of wrongful imprisonment. Conteras offers a performance that is so inwardly directed that he is often inaudible when simply delivering lines. And when the soaring music begins to pipe in, his vocals are completely dwarfed.

A similar problem plagues the performance offered by Jessica Mortellaro, who plays Mercédès, the woman Dantès loves, but she, rather than being intimidated by the music, has a tendency to push herself vocally in order to be heard, resulting in a shrill, unpleasant turn.

Better work can be found among the piece’s villains. Michael Mott brings a certain leering and vocal flair to his portrayal of Fernand, who’s motivated by his own desire for Mercédès, and Jeffrey F. Wright II imbues Danglars, a ship’s clerk who’s jealous of Dantès’ advancement to captain of their ship, with a decidedly oily charm. And yet, while Mott and Wright are able to more than hold their own alongside the music, they are also called upon to deliver some of Behr’s most extraneous, overextended material, notably “Live Like a King,” which simply stalls the show’s second act.

This problem—as well as troubling melodic shifts in other numbers (a duet between Dantès and Mercédès in the first act seems like three songs fused into one)—can be solved as Behr revises the work, which most certainly will also benefit from new casting and live accompaniment.

Presented by Provident Productions as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity at Culture Project, 45 Bleecker Street, NYC. June 12-23. Remaining performances: Sat., June 16, 8:30 p.m.; Sun., June 17, 4 p.m.; Mon., June 18, 8 p.m.; Thu., June 21, 9 p.m.; Sat., June 23, 3:30p.m. (212) 352-2101 or www.theatermania.com.