Saturday, January 3, 2009

Script Review: The Count Of Monte Cristo

Because of raising a family and personal finances, I don't get much opportunity to get to the theater these days. To make up for not seeing shows on stage I try to read as many plays as I can get my hands on, and from time to time I'll try to post a review of the stage adaptations that catch my eye.

Alexandre Dumas' the Count of Monte Cristo: An Adaptation for the Stage by Charles Morey.

Charles Morey is the the artistic director of the Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City. According to his bio he has tackled a number of stage adaptations including: The Three Musketeers, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and A Tale of Two Cities.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO tells the story of Edmond Dantès journey of revenge. While in prison, Dantès meets Abbé Faria, a priest and intellectual, who has been jailed for his political views. In conversation with Faria and through flashbacks we learn that Dantès seemingly perfect life stirred up jealousy among three men. Together, they draft a letter accusing Dantès of treason. A fourth man sees through the plot to frame Dantès, but for his own reasons decides to send him to prison for life.

In prison, Faria turns Dantès into a well-educated man, and tells him of a large treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. When Faria dies, Dantès is given an opportunity to escape and swims to freedom.

Years later, Dantès reappears calling himself the Count of Monte Cristo. Armed with damning knowledge about each of the four men, Dantès sets an elaborate scheme of revenge into motion. In the end all four men are driven to death, ruin, or insanity. Dantès ultimately learns the importance of forgiveness and he seemingly picks up life where he left off as a sailor seeing the world.

Like any two and a half hour adaptation of such an epic novel, Morey cuts the plot pretty close to the bone. However the economy of the story-telling means that the action never lets up. My one complaint is that I found the ending to be unsatisfying and a little tacked on to the play. It is a little pat for Dantès to learn a lesson about forgiveness when he has successfully destroyed all of his enemies. I’m more of a Jacobean mind set, and feel that Dantès’ single-minded thirst for revenge would ultimately lead to his own destruction. That he simply is able to ride off into the sunset after satisfying a twenty-year grudge might be true to the tone of the novel, but it rings false.

I enjoyed the script very much and would welcome the opportunity to see it on stage. Morey's solid work makes me want to seek out his other adaptations.

1 comment:

  1. I ran across your blog while researching our upcoming production of Morey's adaptation. We (the Phoenixville Area High School Theatre Guild)did his THREE MUSKETEERS a couple of years ago with great success.

    Your complaint about Dantès learning about forgiveness instead of being led to his own destruction misses the truth of what Dantès has learned - without forgiveness, destruction is where anyone's life will indeed ultimately lead. The story of Dantès stands in for each of our stories - we, too, must learn the truth of forgiveness lest destruction overtake us.

    Your Jacobean mindset may lead you along just such a path. Beware.

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