MONTE CRISTO: A NEW MUSICAL

Peter Kellogg and Stephen Weiner’s MONTE CRISTO: A NEW MUSICAL arrives at The York Theatre at Theatre at St. Jean’s with all the makings of a grand, sweeping musical. Betrayal, imprisonment, revenge, romance. It’s all there, pulled from Dumas’s famously dense novel and shaped into something more streamlined for the stage.

The story follows Edmund Dantès, a young sailor whose life is upended when he’s falsely accused of treason by a group of men who benefit from his downfall. He’s locked away for years, escapes with knowledge of a hidden fortune, and returns under a new identity as the Count of Monte Cristo, ready to take revenge on the people who destroyed his life.

What surprised me most was the tone.

I didn’t go in expecting the show to be funny at all, but there are definitely moments that lean in that direction. Not in an over-the-top way, and not constantly, but enough that it shifts how you experience the piece. A few lines land with real humor, and certain performances lean into that energy more than others.

Danny Rutigliano is a big part of that. His Caderousse brings a looseness to the stage that the show benefits from, and whenever he’s around, things feel a little more alive. Karen Ziemba matches that nicely with a dry, grounded presence that keeps the comedy from tipping too far. Together they add a layer of personality that cuts through the heavier plot.

Sierra Boggess sounds exactly the way you want her to sound. Her voice carries beautifully, and she gives Mercedes a sense of emotional weight even when the character doesn’t get as much space as she probably should. Whenever she’s featured, the show sharpens.

Adam Jacobs has a lot to carry as Edmund, and the role itself is doing him no favors. The character is so tied up in the mechanics of the plot that it can feel like he’s constantly moving the story forward rather than living inside it. There are moments where you want more dimension, more variation, but he keeps things steady.

Norm Lewis brings his usual presence, even in a part that feels a bit underwritten. You notice him immediately, which makes it more frustrating that he disappears so quickly.

The score is consistently solid. Nothing felt out of place, and there’s a clear commitment to a more traditional musical theater sound. The songs are well-structured and pleasant to listen to, even if not all of them stick with you afterward. The band, led by David Hancock Turner, sounds great and gives the show a strong musical foundation.

Where things get a bit uneven is in how the story unfolds, especially in the second act. Even with the material streamlined, there’s still a lot happening, and it can feel rushed. Characters are introduced quickly, major plot points come and go, and some moments that should land with more impact pass by a little too easily.

That said, there’s clearly a lot of care in the production itself. The staging moves efficiently, and the design elements work well together to support the storytelling. It feels polished in many ways, even as the piece itself is still settling into its shape.

Overall, it’s a good show. An interesting one, too, especially in how it balances a traditionally dramatic story with lighter, more unexpected moments. It doesn’t always fully come together, but there’s enough working here to keep you engaged throughout.

And even if I didn’t expect to laugh at all, I didn’t mind it when I did.

MIXED FACES PLUS