While perfect technically, ‘Anne’ too long

L.M. Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” has delighted young female readers since her series about the life of an orphan girl on Prince Edward Island first appeared in 1908. Penobscot Theatre Company turned to the P.E.I. native’s work for its summer children’s show.

The production, directed by Laura Schutzel, delighted women who grew up reading the books, but with a running time of 2:15 was just too long for theatergoers under the age of 10. The 1937 three-act adaptation by Alice Chadwicke, the pseudonym of Wilbur Braun, also combined several of the books, aging Anne and the other characters two years over the course of the play.

Thanks to the stunning work of PTC’s technical team, “Anne” looked marvelous. Nicole Coppinger’s set filled the cavernous opera house stage but still felt cozy. Karen Hornberger’s lighting design bathed the stage in the warm, yellow glow of eternal summer. The costumes, by Gabriella D’Italia and Ginger Phelps, were breathtakingly beautiful and defined the era Anne inhabited, but did nothing to make the production feel dated.

Schutzel, along with PTC’s artistic director, chose to cast young adults as Anne and her friends. While all are experienced actors and give adequate performances, only one captured the kinetic energy of childhood. In the small role of Josie Pye, Hannah J. Barth was the only performer who truly exuded the awkwardness of a person teetering on the edge of adulthood. She swept onstage like a blast of fresh air and left far too soon.

Courtney Bell as Anne embodied all of the character’s flair for drama and need for love with her voice and porcelain features. The young actress shared Anne’s big heart with the audience, but she never moved like a child.

Her ramrod posture and surefootedness portrayed the adult Anne of Avonlea, but not the girl who flounced across a room or raced across the island darting in between hedgerows. Because the freckles Anne so despised weren’t visible past the first few rows, it was hard to understand why she’d go to such great lengths to remove them from her face let alone a pig’s.

Jessica Rosenblatt as Diana Barry, Jeff Pagliano as Moody and John Morton as Gilbert Blythe had just as much trouble portraying pubescence, although Morton captured Gilbert’s charming awkwardness at trying to tell a girl he likes her without giving away too much.

In this adaptation, much of the humor came from the interaction among adults, particularly Matthew Cuthbert, his sister Marilla and their neighbors. They brought to life the lack of privacy as well as the interdependence that’s an integral part of island life.

Kae Cooney as the gossip monger Mrs. Rachel Lynde was delightful. It was impossible not to like her, even though she’s a bossy busybody. Cooney’s portrayal was so complete, it was easy to imagine the tattletale Mrs. Lynde must have been as a child.

As the Cuthbert siblings who adopt Anne, Sara Valentine and Lynn Berg depicted the stoic nature of hardscrabble farmers. Valentine expertly played Marilla’s tough exterior and offered glimpses of her soft heart but never really prepared the audience for her end-of-the-play breakdown. Berg perfectly captured a man worn down by decades of hard work, but who still approached life and Anne with a twinkle in his eye.

Like most of PTC’s recent productions, “Anne of Green Gables” offered theatergoers a mixed bag – a too long but technically perfect production with performances that ran the gamut from adequate to inspired. Girls and adults who enjoyed the books will love this version despite its length. Younger children, however, will find its length and slow pace trying.

“Anne of Green Gables” will be performed at the Bangor Opera House” through July 28. For ticket information, call 942-3333.