French author Colette’s once-scandalous novel, “The Vagabond,” about an actress who must choose between her free-spirited employment in a Parisian music hall and a staid life as an aristocrat’s wife tackles an age-old dilemma not entirely foreign to our times. On a broader scale, the feminist writer’s ideas can be applied to more contemporary sacrifices, like the decision to not have children in order to pursue a career.
One would expect City Lit Theater Company and adapter Kelly Nespor — whose recent adaptation of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” unearthed rich emotional gems from the darkest depths of the rabbit hole — to vigorously extend Colette’s bold philosophies to modern audiences.
Instead Nespor tarries too long on lead character Renee Nere’s uninspired fretting over her insipid rich suitor, Maxime Duferein-Chautel. Nespor’s decision to give us cartoonish snippets of Renee’s raucous music-hall existence also diminish the seriousness of the actress’ choices.
Set in 1912, “The Vagabond” chronicles the exploits of Renee, a divorcee who remains skittish about marriage after enduring her painter-husband’s numerous affairs. When Maxime, a wealthy admirer, appears at her dressing-room door, her life takes a confounded turn.
Just when she and her stingy performance-business partner Brague are about to embark on a regional tour, Renee finds herself falling in love with her rather one-dimensional suitor. Maxime allows her to go on one last tour before settling into a more “respectable” arrangement as his wife — the latter prospect looking more dismal as Renee’s travels progress.
But director Ann Shanahan fails to make Renee’s quandary the least bit urgent or compelling. This interminable production, clocking in at a weighty 150 minutes, also emphasizes the overwrought character acting of the early 20th Century even during the “offstage” scenes. So it’s very difficult to believe in any of their plights. The other character types surrounding Renee, like Brague and her bumbling confidante Hammond, do little to make this melodrama truthful.
Most impressive, however, are Krishna Sallman (looking like a lovely sepia-toned nymph from a silent-movie poster) and Laura Jones Macknin as Renee and her subconscience, respectively. Their scenes ring with a stinging honesty unmatched by anyone else in the show, especially Nathan Vogt’s stiff Maxime and Rom Barkhordar’s over-the-top Brague.
Scenic-lighting designer Jack K. Magaw captures the lush and diaphanous textures of the period; and Tatjana Radisic’s satin-and-chiffon Serge Diaghilev-era costumes exude a seductive elegance. But to the disappointment of Colette fans, this clumsily circuitous staging neither enchants nor burns with the fires of wrenching desire.
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“The Vagabond”
When: Through March 4
Where: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Phone: 773-293-3682
