Lookingglass again works its Dickens magic on stage

While the majority of novelists do not translate well from the page to the stage, Charles Dickens' unforgettable characters seem to have been conjured up for theater. Every Dickens stage adaptation I have seen Ñ from "A Christmas Carol" to "David Copperfield" to "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Hard Times," which Lookingglass Theatre staged five years ago Ñ has been a resounding triumph.

Now, Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop" comes to grand life in a stage presentation at Lookingglass, conceived and adapted by Raymond Fox with Laura Eason and Heidi Stillman.

Directed with a magician's touch by Tracy Walsh, Dickens' epic characters run through Victorian London and the English countryside by virtue of set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge's curving bridge, which arches over dwellings and shops, and with T.J. Gerckens' shadowy lighting evocative of 19th century London.

The story is typical Dickens, in which, as in real life, sorrow goes hand in hand with joy, and greed competes with compassion. It centers on young Nell, whose grandfather owns The Curiosity Shop. Grandfather is a gambler, and, obsessed with trying to leave Nell a large inheritance, he borrows a lot of money from Mr. Quilp, which he soon loses.

When grandfather loses the shop to Quilp, he and Nell escape to the countryside. On their journey, they meet fascinating characters, including the up-to-no-good Punch-and-Judy puppet show promoter, a waxworks museum owner and a kind teacher.

While the story is told in an imaginative and inventive style Ñ Lookingglass's trademark Ñ the big thrill of this show is watching consummate actors make their characters almost jump right out of the pages of Dickens' book.

Troy West, always a charismatic actor, portrays the grandfather with endearing sympathy, and Lorri Hamm does a good job of playing the saintly Nell.

Lawrence E. DiStasi, who as Dick Swiveller has a heart of gold under a drab exterior and comes to the rescue of The Marchioness, a housemaid with no prospects, well-played by Elizabeth Ledo.

While those characters are well-etched, it is Dickens' wicked and hard-hearted characters that we really relish. At the top of that list is Thomas J. Cox as the sinister Mr. Quilp. Cox portrays that evil character, who is a cripple, with a frog-like gait and with a laughing drool that is dazzling and shocking.

There's also Lisa Tejero, who is great fun to watch as she plays Sally Brass, the tough-as-nails business partner of Quilp and the sister of corrupt lawyer Sampson Brass, played by Andrew White.

Whether or not you are a Dickens' fan, this is a sumptuous treat.