Crime and Punishment at Berkeley Rep A Take on Murderers Anonymous

Opened at Berkeley Rep on Wednesday a one-act Crime and Punishment directed by Sharon Ott, seems more like an adaptation of CliffsNotes than of the Fyodor Dostoevsky’s enormous literary monument, renowned the world over. Out of scores of deep revelations and pervasive ideas about human nature found in the original, Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, who adapted the classical novel to the stage, chose to concentrate on god-searching, a very traditional but not absolutely defining angle of the monography on the mysterious Russian soul. In his constant pursuit of relevancy, Dostoevsky was approaching different markers of self-consciousness, exploring the system of checks and balances in the many wondering minds of his characters. The classic had no knowledge about scientific data on genetic predispositions of a murderer. Even later, in Soviet times, genetics was introduced as “a prostitute to Imperialism” by the propaganda, so no research was being implemented, and no information was available decades after the writer conducted his own study on the topic. Dostoevsky obviously sensed the difference between a born killer and a theoretician “Napoleon” whose intellectual speculations about his own grandeur lead him to the disposal of lesser humans. The most powerful if not necessarily correct supposition of the story about the relentlessness of conscience in the latter type was mulled over by the classic countless times throughout the novel. It was presented in a series of scenes and episodes involving interaction of murderer Raskolnikov with the police investigator Porfiry Petrovich. Thankfully, this chunk of the novel made it to the play. The other, the god-searching one, based on the beloved Russian Orthodox refrain, “there is no repentance without a sin,” unjustly took a lead part in the play, sending a message of redemption guaranteed by faith, which might be well accepted in the American society where 66% adults believe that humans were created five thousand years ago, but which in relation to the said Russian soul is just a cultural marker, a stereotype, but not necessarily the whole truth. What also hurts (ever so slightly) the otherwise remarkable production is the reduction of eight characters to only three actors. The Russian psychological underworld as described by Dostoevsky is a populous place, no matter how lonely his characters are. Given the complexity of the task, the three actors brilliantly accomplished their assignments: Tyler Pierce as Raskolnikov, J.R. Horne as Porfiry, Marmeladov, and a Tradesman, and Delia MacDougall as Sonia, Alyona, Mother, and Lizaveta. Crime and Punishment runs through March 29 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre at 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. For info about discounted tickets, docent talks, student matinees, free tastings, and post-play discussions, and to reserve your seats, call 510-647-2949 or visit www.berkeleyrep.org. Photo: At Berkeley Rep, Tyler Pierce (left) and J.R. Horne star in a gripping, 90-minute adaptation of Crime and Punishment directed by Sharon Ott.
Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com.