Bartleby The Scrivener, adapted from Herman Melville by R.L. Lane

Herman Melville's famous novella is brought to the stage in this moving adaptation. On Wall Street in the 1850s, Standard, a well respected lawyer, hires a mild-mannered Bartleby to join his staff of scriveners. The delicate balance of the office is disturbed by Bartleby's presence and silent resolve, as the group spins towards chaos, the action shifts from farce to tragedy and back again. This adaptation's portrayal of a lonely, inexplicably afflicted figure whose actions test the tolerance and humanity of his fellow men goes straight to the heart of our own treatment of the damaged and destitute.


Directed by Richard Cotovksy and features Todd Lahrman, Daniel Behrendt, Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, Kevin V. Smith, Leonard Kraft, Shirley Cean Rogiers, Monte Lamonte, and Colm McCann.

Designers include Matt Reese (set), Stefin Steberl (costumes), Matthew Gawryk & Nic Jones (lights), Joe Court (sound). Stage Management is by Allison Goetzman. Assistant Director is Gus Menary. Assistant Stage Management by Anna Mary Brennan.

Review Clippings:
"Each scrivener is strikingly portrayed: the irascible Nippers (Carlo Lorenzo Garcia), the boyish Ginger Nut (Shirley Cean Rogiers), the alcoholically effusive Turkey (a beautiful turn by Kraft). While Smith plays Bartleby with an eerie stillness, like a scrivening Buster Keaton, Lahrman as Standard...at his best in the final scenes, when the full impact of Bartleby’s plight and the casual, friendly brutality exposed by his refusal become bracingly apparent."
-Time Out Chicago

"This remarkably odd story is realized by an engaging cast. Shirley Cean Rogiers is delightfully impish as Ginger Nut, the office gofer. Carlo Lorenzo Garica adds subtle dimensions to Nippers, a perfectly miserable scrivener. Leonard Kraft steals the show as Turkey, the aged staff member of the office, always ready with an eccentric analogy or off-beat metaphor. Kraft’s ‘must see’ performance captures the hearts of the audience and exemplifies how just how much an experienced actor can add to a production. Kevin V. Smith is perfectly freakish as Bartleby. Unwavering in his oddity, he embodies the startling strangeness of this pathetic character with complete conviction and believability. Todd Lahrman’s portrayal of Standard, the business owner who befriends Bartleby, is the most demanding role in the play as it sets the tone for all of the action."
-Chicago Stage Review

"Like Dickens, Melville had an ear for colorful names and eccentric characters, and Cotovsky lets his actors play. The way Leonard Kraft embodies the old coot Turkey - 'A crisis, sir, of extravagant proportions!'—you're seeing a proto-version of Dwight Schrute from 'The Office.'"
-Chicago Tribune

"Recommended" -ChicagoCritic.Com