‘Saint Joan’ Tries to Adapt Shaw’s Wit

For someone without hearing disabilities, entering the Deaf West Theatre is something like going to a foreign country where you can’t quite understand the locals. This feeling is rarely apparent once the lights go down; the compensations and considerations for both the deaf and non-deaf audiences are usually smoothly achieved. Yet in this production of “Saint Joan,” director Kenneth Albers’ adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play about Joan of Arc, there were more annoying typos (divide becomes “devide”) in the projected subtitles than in foreign B movies.

We may not “speak” the same language, but we certainly do read the same English.

This slapdash feeling runs throughout the production. Shaw’s blend of witty satire of social foibles and political critique is not played with the proper sense of irony. Instead, Albers’ thematic tone jarringly switches from seriously dramatic to fluffy comedic. A priest (Andrew J. Turner) peevishly whines about his horse, then suddenly reverts to being an angry noble seeking political gain. The foppish future King Charles (Dominic Vera) seems out of place among the doom-and-gloom aspects of the other men. As the doomed but brave Joan, Linda Bove is too mature for the role. She never projects a beatific radiance, that special “something” so often referred to in the dialogue.

And the costuming--horrible woven strips of cloth, pants and coats made of camouflage-style fabric, and army boots--all hint at an unclear artistic vision that was trying to tie Joan’s story to modern times.

* “Saint Joan,” Deaf West Theatre, 660 N. Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends March 16. $20; except Thursdays, $12. (213) 660-4673 or (213) 660-8826, TDD. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.