The Power of Darkness at the Mint Theater

The Mint Theater Company presents The Power of Darkness, by Leo Tolstoy, at the Mint Theater from 6 Sep - 28 Oct 2007.

The Power of Darkness is st amidst the squalor, superstition and ignorance of a peasant village in Russia, it describes the downward spiral of the play�s young protagonist whose philandering ensnares him in a web of murder, adultery and infanticide leading ultimately to despair and a cry for redemption.

This play was written in 1886 but was banned in Russia where it was not produced until 1895�after Tolstoy satisfied the censor and agreed to provide an alternative for the play�s most powerful and horrific scene. Its first New York production was in Yiddish (in 1904). It was presented on Broadway, in English, 16 years later by the Theater Guild. The last time it was seen in New York was in 1959 when Brooks Atkinson called the play �unforgettable�a devastating chronicle of corruption and penitence on a peasant farm in the 1880�s.�

Directed by Martin Platt, The Power of Darkness features Mark Alhadeff, Lisa Altomare, Jennifer Bissell, Steve Brady, Randy Danson, Scott Freeman, Anne Letscher, Peter Levine, Angela Reed, Jeff Steitzer, and Alok Tewari.

The production has set design by Bill Clarke, with costumes by Holly Poe Durbin and lighting by Jeff Nellis.