Ross E. Zentner
Nancy Harris’ The Kreutzer Sonata places audiences on a passenger train with a man in 1889. The man isn’t entirely likable. This isn’t a problem in Renaissance Theaterworks’ staging of the drama, as the man is played by James Pickering. With charm and resonance, Pickering brings to life a character that turns out to be an enjoyable traveling companion on a 90-minute journey into his own past.
Pickering brings deep, empathic warmth to the somber story. It’s not a cheery place to be, but audiences who want something sparkly and shiny aren’t going to be climbing into the intimate emotional space created by Renaissance and director Marie Kohler. Pickering slowly speaks through the shadows on a dark set as he delivers the details on events preceding a tragedy. He speaks of a wife he loves. He speaks of complexities in his relationship with her. Pickering keeps a steady handle on the character’s level-headed emotional inertia.
Colleen Schmitt and Joseph Ketchum aid Pickering in his delivery. Schmitt has a poise that brings dignity to the gentleman’s wife, who plays the piano. The old friend that comes by to play violin with her, played by Ketchum with silent passion, brings dreamlike vitality to the stage. A nice synthesis occurs between the trio. No one element overpowers any of the others.
Through Feb. 15 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit r-t-w.com.