THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
REVIEWS
ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Charles Morey’s 1998 stage version is an impeccably solid piece of theatrical work, and ASF is performing it so vividly that I ended up finding the whole thing thrilling from swash to buckle…¦Mr. Morey… has squeezed Dumas’1,400 page blockbuster into a shapely two-act play that rattles along at near cinematic speed. His staging is notable for the complete absence of the self-parodic touches that you’d expect from a 19th century costume drama inviting us to experience “The Count of Monte Cristo” not as an exercise in post-modern sniggering but as a heartfelt cautionary tale of how even the most heroic of souls can be shriveled beyond redemption by the desire for vengeance.
Terry Teachout
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
For two and a half hours, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s lavish production of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO enthralls and delights its audiences with glorious costumes and sets, masterful fight sequences, finely tuned characterizations, a literate script and challenging themes… add to this adventure a romantic musical score, elegant dances, thrilling fights and philosophical argument, and the result is an absorbing evening’s entertainment.
Michael P. Howley
THE MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER
…a story of heart-breaking romance and seat grappling adventure… Graceful and fluid transitions and excellent blocking create a masterpiece that draws the viewer into the very plot itself… clever and humorous dialogue sustain viewer’s interest throughout… Morey creates a beautiful telling of revenge that leads to redemption…
Jamie Foster
MONTGOMERY CITY GUIDE
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY
"Richly rewarding... Pioneer Theatre Company's world premiere of Charles Morey''s adaptation of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO fully satisfies any need for romantic intrigue... Morey dramatizes the story well through careful selection and wise use of theatrical devices... The production is stunning...the artistry is simply magical...Seeing Dantes disappear into the ground in his prison garb only to rise instantly transformed into the Count dressed in blinding white caused an audible gasp... THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is another triumph for Morey and The Pioneer Theatre Company. But along with its sensuous pleasures, the play questions the nature of goodness and the value of revenge."
Claudia Harris
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
"Leave it to Salt Lake City's Pioneer Theatre Company to take a loooong 19th century French novel and turn it into a play that is powerful and rich with symbolism, but also smashingly entertaining... At first... almost a tale of buried treasure and adventure... somewhere in all that the play stops being just a cool, exciting story of revenge and becomes a powerful statement on justice, God and forgiveness... this production is fabulously entertaining, not to mention meaningful and important. It's theatre at its finest: well acted and directed, with plenty of fun and excitement, and a bit of a take-home message too."
Eric D. Snider
PROVO DAILY HERALD
...exciting, edge-of-your-seat drama with a measure of wry humor thrown in the mix...one great evening and the hardest problem in reviewing it will be to find enough superlatives... better than breathtaking... fast and intense... Morey's adaptation of The Count is a roller coaster. It's funny, it's dramatic, it's tragic... Morey grabbed me early and when the last intense scene faded to black I was almost too paralyzed to applaud... It was totally mesmerizing... Go see The Count of Monte Cristo. It's the best time I've had in a crowded room for a long, long time."
Kat James & Jim Schefter
The Park Record
Morey has done a masterful job on Monte Cristo... transferring a classic 19th century novel into a spell binding piece of theatre. Monte Cristo is a romantic adventure that works very well on stage. Morey''s inventive plot devices (make) the action shift smoothly to and fro...characters and sub-plots are in a constant state of movement as Dantes... like a vulture circling his prey is determined to wreak slow, exquisite revenge on those who betrayed him."
Ivan Lincoln
THE DESERET NEWS
DELAWARE PTTP
...an immensely engaging evening of theatre ... a wonderful and rich example of expert storytelling..."
Jeff Murphy
Delaware News Journal
MAVERICK THEATRE
Charles Morey has specialized in turning 19th-century novels into plays, notably the works of Alexandre Dumas, pere and fils. His 1998 stage version of "The Count of Monte Cristo," Dumas pere's classic tale of revenge, makes for a wonderful swashbuckler that works as escapism while examining flaws in human nature that allow some men to prey upon others.
Eric Marchese
Backstage
It was a riveting tale in 1844 and it still provides a charge today especially in the high powered stage version... Morey''s adaptation is crackling with good dialogue and simplifiled around the reason for, and carrying out of, Edmond Dantes'' revenge."
Shawn Price
Coast Magazine
Charles Morey’s 1998 stage version is an impeccably solid piece of theatrical work, and ASF is performing it so vividly that I ended up finding the whole thing thrilling from swash to buckle…¦Mr. Morey… has squeezed Dumas’1,400 page blockbuster into a shapely two-act play that rattles along at near cinematic speed. His staging is notable for the complete absence of the self-parodic touches that you’d expect from a 19th century costume drama inviting us to experience “The Count of Monte Cristo” not as an exercise in post-modern sniggering but as a heartfelt cautionary tale of how even the most heroic of souls can be shriveled beyond redemption by the desire for vengeance.
Terry Teachout
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
For two and a half hours, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s lavish production of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO enthralls and delights its audiences with glorious costumes and sets, masterful fight sequences, finely tuned characterizations, a literate script and challenging themes… add to this adventure a romantic musical score, elegant dances, thrilling fights and philosophical argument, and the result is an absorbing evening’s entertainment.
Michael P. Howley
THE MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER
…a story of heart-breaking romance and seat grappling adventure… Graceful and fluid transitions and excellent blocking create a masterpiece that draws the viewer into the very plot itself… clever and humorous dialogue sustain viewer’s interest throughout… Morey creates a beautiful telling of revenge that leads to redemption…
Jamie Foster
MONTGOMERY CITY GUIDE
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY
"Richly rewarding... Pioneer Theatre Company's world premiere of Charles Morey''s adaptation of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO fully satisfies any need for romantic intrigue... Morey dramatizes the story well through careful selection and wise use of theatrical devices... The production is stunning...the artistry is simply magical...Seeing Dantes disappear into the ground in his prison garb only to rise instantly transformed into the Count dressed in blinding white caused an audible gasp... THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is another triumph for Morey and The Pioneer Theatre Company. But along with its sensuous pleasures, the play questions the nature of goodness and the value of revenge."
Claudia Harris
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
"Leave it to Salt Lake City's Pioneer Theatre Company to take a loooong 19th century French novel and turn it into a play that is powerful and rich with symbolism, but also smashingly entertaining... At first... almost a tale of buried treasure and adventure... somewhere in all that the play stops being just a cool, exciting story of revenge and becomes a powerful statement on justice, God and forgiveness... this production is fabulously entertaining, not to mention meaningful and important. It's theatre at its finest: well acted and directed, with plenty of fun and excitement, and a bit of a take-home message too."
Eric D. Snider
PROVO DAILY HERALD
...exciting, edge-of-your-seat drama with a measure of wry humor thrown in the mix...one great evening and the hardest problem in reviewing it will be to find enough superlatives... better than breathtaking... fast and intense... Morey's adaptation of The Count is a roller coaster. It's funny, it's dramatic, it's tragic... Morey grabbed me early and when the last intense scene faded to black I was almost too paralyzed to applaud... It was totally mesmerizing... Go see The Count of Monte Cristo. It's the best time I've had in a crowded room for a long, long time."
Kat James & Jim Schefter
The Park Record
Morey has done a masterful job on Monte Cristo... transferring a classic 19th century novel into a spell binding piece of theatre. Monte Cristo is a romantic adventure that works very well on stage. Morey''s inventive plot devices (make) the action shift smoothly to and fro...characters and sub-plots are in a constant state of movement as Dantes... like a vulture circling his prey is determined to wreak slow, exquisite revenge on those who betrayed him."
Ivan Lincoln
THE DESERET NEWS
DELAWARE PTTP
...an immensely engaging evening of theatre ... a wonderful and rich example of expert storytelling..."
Jeff Murphy
Delaware News Journal
MAVERICK THEATRE
Charles Morey has specialized in turning 19th-century novels into plays, notably the works of Alexandre Dumas, pere and fils. His 1998 stage version of "The Count of Monte Cristo," Dumas pere's classic tale of revenge, makes for a wonderful swashbuckler that works as escapism while examining flaws in human nature that allow some men to prey upon others.
Eric Marchese
Backstage
It was a riveting tale in 1844 and it still provides a charge today especially in the high powered stage version... Morey''s adaptation is crackling with good dialogue and simplifiled around the reason for, and carrying out of, Edmond Dantes'' revenge."
Shawn Price
Coast Magazine