For icing, Turgenev's 1850 play "Month in The Country" is very today. Think "Desperate Housewives'. Girl loves boy; man loves married woman; married woman loves boy; so girl marries older man. How sad, how heartbreaking…how Russian! Staged by the Village Theatre in Waterdown's Memorial Hall, director George Thomas keeps the pace progressive in spite of slogging & verbose dialogue. Even the rushed diction of Jan Durbin as the wife fails to offset a sense of lethargic advancement. Paola Di Maddelena is the girl- Vera and she projects an attractive virginal animation. But it is the young tutor, Brian Melanson, who most epitomizes his role as the handsome but shyly reticent object of both women's attentions. The poise of a maternal Margaret Thomas is also a standout character interpretation.
The Memorial Hall is a delightfully warm & inviting venue, so the somewhat austere stage-set still feels intimate. The only drawback is its lack of ramping so vision is somewhat impeded. Overall, it is an enjoyable evening. 'A Month in The Country' is on stage until March 5th.