WHAT: “Enchanted April”

WHERE: May 4, 5, 6 and 10, 11, 12, 13. Shows at 7 p.m. Thursday; at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and at 2 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Public Theatre, Maple and Lisbon streets, Lewiston,

TICKETS: $16 for adults, $14 for students and seniors; and $12.50 group rate

CALL: 782-3200.

‘Enchanted April’ Public Theatre sets out to show anything’s possible when you open your heart

LEWISTON – It won’t happen until early May, but you can soon find a truly “Enchanted April” at The Public Theatre.

Director Christopher Schario is promising that spring will explode on stage with the transformation of a typically dreary London into a delightfully sunny villa in Italy.

“Enchanted April” is a warm and romantic comedy about rediscovering life’s enchantments.

This fairly new play, based on a popular old book, fits perfectly in The Public Theatre’s tradition of presenting an end-of-winter pick-me-up for the conclusion of its regular season. What could be better than a month by the Mediterranean Sea in a luxurious Italian villa with nothing to do but everything you’ve ever dreamed of?

The year is 1922, and two rain-soaked London housewives, a glamorous socialite and a crusty old widow rent a villa in Italy for the month of April.

When they arrive, it is still raining, but – as one of them so aptly puts it – “I’m sure Italian rain is better than English rain.”

Soon, the magic of the Tuscan sun delivers its restorative power of love, laughter and friendship to everyone, including visiting husbands.

“This play is almost like taking a little minitrip to Italy,” Schario said. It’s a change of scene that performs some powerful transformations on the bogged-down Brits.

“It shows us that the most important thing is to open your heart,” he said, to allow fresh opportunities for rediscovery and rejuvenation.

Playing the roles of the four English women will be Anne-Marie Cusson as Lottie; Sheridan Thomas, in her debut at The Public Theatre, as Mrs. Graves; Nicole Golden as Lady Caroline; and Janet Mitchko as Rose.

Appearing as their husbands and love interests will be Michael McKenzie as Frederick, Peter Crosby as Wilding, and Andrew Harris as Mellersh.

Susan Poulin has the role of their delightful Italian cook Costanza.

“This is one of the most talented casts we’ve had here at The Public Theatre,” Schario said.

Crosby appeared a few years ago in TPT’s production of “Three Days of Rain.” Cusson was last seen at TPT in 1995’s “Dancing At Lughnasa.”

“It’s also nice to have some faces that people would know from other places,” Schario added. These would include Harris, executive director of L/A Arts, a veteran actor and arts educator who is making his first appearance with The Public Theatre in “Enchanted April.”

Poulin has made several appearances on TPT’s stage, but they have been in her popular one-woman comedy productions (in collaboration with Gordon Carlisle) of “Ida: Woman Who Runs with the Moose,” “In My Head I’m Thin,” and “Ida’s Havin’ a Yard Sale.” This marks her TPT debut in the cast of a play by someone else.

The scenery of London and the luscious reveal of the Italian villa in Act Two will be created by set designer Michael Reidy.

“Act Two is like walking through the door in the “Wizard of Oz,” Schario said.

Costumes of the 1920s will be designed by Kathleen Brown and the romantic lighting is by Bart Garvey.

“Enchanted April,” which was a best-selling novel by Elizabeth von Arnim in the 1920s, became a 1992 film and a brief 2003 Broadway success in the stage adaptation by Matthew Barber.

Several articles and reviews of other productions of “Enchanted April” make the point that audiences should not consider “Enchanted April” to be slanted too much to the feminine side. After all, it takes place shortly after the end of World War I, and the challenges of rebounding from such catastrophic events figure significantly in the story.

These are timeless themes that give the uplifting message of “Enchanted April” a current appeal.