Theater review | 'Enchanted April' is a charming escape at Taproot in Seattle

We all seem to be fascinated by transformations. Whether it's a disgraced Congressman turned into a sexy dancer or an impoverished waif becoming the nation's wealthiest and most influential media personality, it's the transmutations that ignite our interest. And "Enchanted April" is a play about transformations. Moribund marriages revive; unhappy people find grace.

Adapted by Matthew Barber from an early-20th-century romantic novel by Elizabeth von Arnim (which was made into a popular 1992 movie), the play has the weaknesses of that genre: predictability, triteness. But that said, Taproot's production of Matthew Barber's adaptation is charming. Director Karen Lund knows what her audiences want, and she can give it to them.

The story focuses on four quite different English women who rent an Italian villa a few years after World War I. Escaping dreary London for a month in sun-infused Italy, they find joyous abandon, emotional health, and even love.

Mark Lund's set and sound capture the ambience exactly. The London rooms of the first act are muted, with dark walls and worn Oriental carpets. Persistent rains and claps of thunder reinforce the gloom of the city.

The Italy of Act II is drenched in radiant yellow light. On a terrace of pastel stones sit bowls of bright flowers. Wisteria blooms cascade from the villa, and distant waves can be heard rolling onto the shore.

Costumes by Sarah Burch Gordon range from sumptuous to silly as needed, ideally created for each unique character. There's crotchety old Mrs. Graves, well-played by Kim Morris. Anne Kennedy's haughty Lady Caroline is a wry ice princess who deep down is a wounded soul.

Llysa Holland (as the maid Constanza) communicates most amusingly using gestures and Italian only, and Nikki Visel (Rose) realistically reinvents herself.

Charity Parenzini as the group's leader, Lotty, isn't as successful. She substitutes shrill hyperactivity for enthusiasm.

The production is short on subtlety. Restraint is not a strong point, but it's hard not to be captivated. It may not be April, but there's some enchantment on the Taproot stage this month.

Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net