Enchanted April, the adaptation of Elizabeth von Arnim's 1921 novel that began previews at Hartford Stage way back on Feb. 24, 2000, is now looking to reach Broadway in 2003.
At one point, the romantic comedy, dramatized by Matthew Barber, hoped to transfer to a Broadway house as early as April 2000. A spokesman could not yet specify whether the play would bow in the spring or fall of the coming year.
Michael Wilson, Hartford artistic director, is still set to helm the production. Designing the production are Tony Straiges (set), John Gromada (sound and original music), Jess Goldstein (costumes) and Rui Rita (lights). Enchanted April is about two bored women who flee to a medieval Italian villa, where they meet two other ladies, one of whom appears to be a prudish stick-in-the-mud, the other a beautiful flirt. Eventually, husbands arrive, and all the relationships are considered anew.
Von Arnim's novel was made into a popular 1991 film starring Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson, Alfred Molina, Josie Lawrence and Polly Walker. It received Academy Award nominations for supported actress (Plowright) and adapted screenplay (Peter Barnes). The novel had been previously filmed in 1935.
Starring in the Hartford show were Enid Graham, a Tony nominee for Honour, Christopher Duva (MTC's An Experiment with an Air Pump), Christopher Donahue, John Hines, Isabel Keating, Stephanie March, Irma St. Paule and Jill Tanner.
