Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, first published in 1850, struck a nerve in the American consciousness, one that reverberates to the present day. With its theme of Puritan hypocrisy (Does the current administration come to mind?) and ritual of guilt, confession, and redemption (Oprah, anyone?), this is an American story for the ages. Adaptations of the novel consistently emerged during the 20th century and continue into the 21st. They include a silent film in 1917, a 1995 film version with a happy ending, a contemporary setting from playwright Suzan-Lori Parks in 2000 titled Fucking A, and a musical at the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The wearer of the scarlet letter, Hester Prynne, has become a feminist icon, and her interpreters stretch from Lillian Gish to Demi Moore. This latest stage adaptation is by Stuart Vaughan and Marie Kreutziger, and as presented by the New Globe Theatre and directed by Vaughan, it is pleasingly straightforward if not overly exciting.
Now to the CliffsNotes: In 17th-century Puritan New England, Hester Prynne (Jana Mestecky), whose husband is believed lost at sea, is branded an adulterer when she produces a daughter, whom she names Pearl (Bridget Riley). Vilified by the community, she refuses to identify the father. Arthur Dimmesdale (Craig Rising), the respected and righteous town minister, is dogged by guilt. When Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth (William Shust), reappears without disclosing his identity, he suspects Dimmesdale as Hester's lover and devotes his life to being both Dimmesdale's caretaker and nemesis.
The novel's melodramatic elements and subtler psychological shifts sit more easily on the page than the stage. This adaptation's best scene is Dimmesdale's declaration to Hester in the woodland: "We are not the worst sinners here." With it, the play finally gains an emotional center. Mestecky makes a believably stalwart Hester, but it is Rising's touching Dimmesdale that most impresses. The production's one false note is the problem role of Pearl -- it's not easy to present an elfin, changeling child. The miscasting suggests something closer to a stridently voiced New Jersey mall brat than a 17th-century Massachusetts urchin. Surely Hester has enough on her plate without this.
Presented by the New Globe Theatre at the Gene Frankel Theatre,
24 Bond St., NYC.
June 3-17. Wed.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com.