Intiman's 'Crime and Punishment' keeps the audience thinking, and talking

The Intiman's 90 minute adaptation of Dostoyevsky's classic suspense tale, "Crime and Punishment" is as thought provoking as it is fresh and original.  Portrayed by only 3 actors, this morality tale adapted by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus at times feels more like film noir than a novel from 1866.  The adaptation brings fresh life to the story of a penniless student, Raskolnikov, who murders two women with an ax.  But has he killed them for money, to rid the world of a profound evil, or because he feels that he is one of the "extraordinary" people in the world to whom everyday laws do not matter (an ideal which some people in our modern world still hold to be true for themselves)? 

The story is told through flashbacks of Raskolnikov (brilliantly played by Galen Joseph Osier) as he is being interrogated by police inspector Porfiry (Todd Jefferson Moore) about the murders of two women (both played by Hana Lass) in the village of St. Petersburg.  Through the flashbacks we also meet Sonia (also played by Lass), a young woman forced into prostitution by her drunken Father, Marmeladov (also played by Moore) who is befriended by Raskolnikov.  Moore and Lass do an impressive job of switching in and out of these characters (and more) throughout the show with no question as to whom they are portraying at any moment.  Too often in shows where people play multiple characters, the differentiation comes from the costumes worn but the only costume changes here are the additions of a scarf or a hat or a coat.  It is the characterizations and complete focus of the actors that keep these characters separate.  And all of this is held together by Osier whose passion and conviction keeps us on the edge of our seats.

But I feel the star of the show here to be the direction by Sheila Daniels.  She keeps the pace at a break neck speed, never allowing us time to over analyze a moment or guess where we might be heading.  All we can do is hold on for one hell of an emotional and ethical journey.   And her use of the slamming doors to punctuate transitions between scenes and emphasize Raskolnikov's imprisonment in his own situation is nothing less than superb.  Plus, I must mention her quite simple staging of the grisly murder that will leave you breathless.  Daniels manages to transport us back and forth in time weaving a magnificent tapestry of a story which at the end is both beautiful and disturbing.

Add to this the stunning lighting design by Dans Maree Sheehan and the sparse yet ever changing set by Carey Wong, and you have an evening of theater you will be talking about long after you leave.  And with post show discussions held in the lobby after each show, you will have ample opportunity to do just that.

"Crime and Punishment" plays at the Intiman Theater through May 3^rd.  For tickets or information, contact the Intiman Box office at  206-269-1900 or visit them online at www.intiman.org.

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