Nina Metz

Picking up where Part 1 left off, "The Cider House Rules: Part 2" follows the life of Homer Wells as he steps out into the world and establishes himself as an adult. He falls in love, has a child, works in the apple orchard and resists Dr. Larch's appeals that he return to the orphanage and help perform abortions. Peter Parnell's adaptation of the novel seems almost slavish in its attempt to include every scene and ancillary character, which makes for a play--Parts 1 and 2--that is much, much too long. So I recommend this production with a caveat about the enormous time commitment required, since there's really no point in seeing one part without catching the other, and together they come to about seven hours. Regardless, you've got to hand it to the Famous Door cast and production team for taking on such a monumental challenge. Again, Daniel Kuhlman nicely captures the milquetoast quality of Homer Wells, the straight man to everyone else's neuroses.

"The Cider House Rules: Parts 1 and 2" are running in repertory at the Victory Gardens Theater, 2257 North Lincoln, (773)871-3000, through April 6.

(2003-02-19)

Also by Nina Metz

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Chock full of witticisms delivered at a breakneck pace, the current production at Writers' Theatre in Glencoe is essentially one enormous bon mot.
(2003-02-05)

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The trick, it would seem, in adapting a novel for the stage or screen is figuring out a way to artfully condense ideas, themes and plot points down into a manageable length.
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(2003-01-15)

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