British theater company breathes life into a musty classic with their vibrant version of George Eliot's "Mill on the Floss." By LUCIA ANDERSON

By LUCIA ANDERSON

Date published: 5/24/2001

WHEN: Through June 10

WHERE: Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater, Washington

HOW MUCH: $20 to $68

NEED TO KNOW MORE: 202/467-4600 or 800/444-1324

THE FREE LANCE-STAR

WASHINGTON--The Shared Experience Theatre members could be called resurrection men, although the bodies this group brings to life are musty literary classics.

Say "'Mill on the Floss' by George Eliot," and most people will respond with a heartfelt groan. After all, the book is nearly 600 pages long and written in that wordy 19th-century style that makes reading it feel like trudging through three feet of snow--without snowshoes.

But let this "physical theatre" company loose on this weighty tome, and watch a vibrant story emerge.

Many will remember "Mill on the Floss" from the assigned reading list of a high school or college English lit course. There's Maggie Tulliver, a bright, imaginative lass slowly being squashed into the mold of mid-19th-century English society. Eliot, herself a bright, imaginative lass stifled by Victorian mores, has poured more than a little of herself into this novel. Impulsive, loving Maggie is constantly checked by circumstances she can't control; her last impetuous act brings about her death.

It's a fairly depressing story with a lot of disagreeable characters, but the Shared Experience version, directed by Nancy Meckler and Polly Teale, turns quicksand to quicksilver.

Material in the press kit explains that the company tries to physically portray what's going on inside a character, not just what he says or does. Sometimes this added dimension amplifies the text, sometimes it's merely confusing. The cumulative effect, however, opens the characters in ways that traditional acting could not.

For instance, Helen Edmundson's adaptation of the novel creates three separate Maggies--child, adolescent and grown-up. This is not an altogether original concept, but here the child Maggie keeps popping up in the life of the other two, as does the adolescent Maggie in the grown-up's life. This adds tremendous emotional depth to the character.

The actors are all top-notch, particularly the three Maggies--Pauline Turner, Jessica Lloyd and Caroline Faber--and Hywel Morgan as Maggie's brother, Tom.

All of the cast except Turner have been given more than one part, which gives them a chance to show off their considerable acting skills.

Most of the characters speak with a fairly broad rural English accent, which can make them difficult to understand when their heads are turned away from the audience, but the gist comes through.

There's considerable weirdness in the Shared Experience Theatre version of "Mill on the Floss," but it grows on you. Give it a try.

Date published: 5/24/2001