Bartlett's reworking of the story of Marguerite Gautier, the 19th-century consumptive courtesan, restores some of the saltiness to a tale that has acquired multiple layers of romantic gloss over the centuries. The flashback-structured narrative and the use of the supporting cast as chorus keep the play moving along crisply (though I was bothered by the sight of men in evening clothes moving furniture about). And the Round House technical staff performs its usual fine job, including Rosemary Pardee's costumes and a shower of letter-paper from the flies during the scene of Marguerite's final collapse, played sensitively by Angela Reed. But the production struggles to rise above salon-era sentiment, hindered perhaps by the lack of chemistry between Reed and Aubrey Deeker as Armand, the narrator/alter ego of Dumas. And there were some odd choices of French pronunciation, first among them the name of Marguerite's protegé turned rival, Olympe.

 posted: 10:59:43 PM