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My overall impression
Like some of the other reviewers here, I wasn’t expecting much from such a small Fringe venue. This show pretty much blew the walls and roof off the place in its ambition, though, and the opening “night” (3:30pm) audience I saw it with rightfully ate it up. Who doesn’t love a good revenge tale? The Count of Monte Cristo is exactly that, and here, the epic tome has been translated into a well paced two-hour romp through early 1800’s Paris. Yes, you do have to use your imagination in this bare-bones black box setting, but the cast, and especially Matt Dahan’s sweeping score make that very easy. Besides their amazing vocal talents, the players have also amassed a fairly decent array of costumes, and use every prop, wig, and long coat to the best effect. The cast is mighty strong in both acting and singing too, especially the vocals of Mary Nepi (Valentine), Laurine Price (Mercedes), and The Count himself, David Meinke. There are some truly emotional moments in the script that got a few tears out of the audience as well, and a few heartbreaks along the way. Anthony Gruppuso (M de Villefort) has a scene that is positively gut-wrenching. This show is without a doubt destined to go on to bigger and better. If it can be this good with this little resource available to it, imagine how it will look when it takes main stage at a major venue? I’ll be in line for a ticket when it does. Kelly D’Angelo and her cast and crew should be very, very proud of what they’ve accomplished here.