3.5 out of 5 Stars

I am settling into my seat at the Pearl Theatre Co on 42nd street for a single reason - Kate Hamill. The production I am here for is written (adapted) for the stage by Ms. Hamill who also stars in the show. The persistent afterglow of her recent work in Sense and Sensibility (which I saw twice, Melissa, three times) urges our return to her stage. Our commitment was well rewarded. Ms. Hamill creates a unique style of theater that is right down the center of the plate of what I most enjoy in a theatrical outing. Titles like Sense and Sensibility and Vanity Fair (novel by William Thackeray, production directed by Eric Tucker) can potentially strike a fuddy/duddy chord in many minds. Once again Ms. Hamill reanimates famous but potentially stale classics into vibrant 21st-century works of wonder. Her shows mesmerize with contemporary rhythms.