Capital Stage’s Anna Karenina gets society’s wrongs just right

Anna Karenina; 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Wednesday. Special performances at 7 p.m. on November 11 and 2 p.m. on November 1 and 8; $24-$38. Capital Stage, 2215 J Street; (916) 995-5464; www.capstage.org. Through November 23.

Hypocrisy takes a thrashing when the heart wants what it wants, and in Capital Stage’s current production of Anna Karenina—Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel, adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson—we see the destruction of a woman who dares to follow her heart in a society that cares more for pretense than authenticity.

Edmundson’s adaptation moves the character of Constantine Levin—usually an afterthought in stage and film versions, though he is in many ways Anna’s doppelgänger—to a position just slightly less central than the woman who is the ultimate tragic heroine. While hitting the major plot points, this production, directed with a deft hand by Stephanie Gularte, moves swiftly and without unnecessary baggage. It’s aided in this by a stark and flexible set, designed by David Nofsinger, which manages to suggest everything from train stations to Russian opera houses with a minimum of fuss. Shannon Mahoney, who directed the choreography and movement, gives us elements of ballet that reveal just how carefully arranged society is, and the choreography of a crucial scene at a horse race is amazing.

But the heart and soul of Anna Karenina comes from the performances. Lenne Klingaman’s Anna is smart and beautiful, but completely overpowered by emotion and overwhelmed by expectation; her disintegration is physically painful. She is counterpointed by the morally centered—and somewhat slow to catch on—Levin, played to earnest perfection by Brian Patrick Williams. As Karenin, Scott Coopwood lets us feel empathy for his position, then undercuts it with hypocrisy. Vronsky is played as beautiful, vain, truly in love but oblivious to the cost to his beloved by Rob August. Excellent supporting performances from Misty Day, Carissa Meagher, and Michael Stevenson round out the major roles.

For those afraid of tackling Tolstoy’s novel—and who isn’t?—this production is an excellent entrée to the power of a story to reveal society’s fracture points. But more important—and more relevant—is Capital Stage’s ability to make a classic story accessible and understandable while retaining the very things that make it classic.