Cleavage. Premarital sex. Profanity. No, I’m not talking about the fourth installment of the “American Pie” saga.

I’m referring to “The Scarlet Letter,” which opened last weekend at the Stevens Building’s Players Theater. A modernization of the perennial classic tackles such racy issues and has plenty of eye candy for the casual play goer.

With characters adorned in period clothing, I wondered exactly how they play was modernized. But the character interactions and dialogue have gotten a fresh spin for the 21st century.

Among the most interesting modernization was the set design. It appeared as if the entire play was performed within a whale’s stomach, with a curved, white wooden floor and giant white steel rings that easily could have been passed off as whale ribs.

“The set design was partially influenced by the Japanese Noh theater, with the traditional Noh bridge,” assistant stage manager Ben Cannon said.

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They wanted the “sterile, white, kind of hospital environment where you can’t hide,” production stage manager Aaris Jackson said.

As far as the story, not much has changed — a sad tale of adultery, infidelity and illegitimate children. The feel of emotional climaxes and the bizarre sexual taboo cleverly are conveyed through body language and facial features.

The acting troupe is a group of finely-trained thespians. Actor Scott McCulloch, who played Roger Chillingworth, studied acting in Toronto before coming to NIU, and is a member of the Canadian Actors Equity Association. McCulloch delivers a simply awe-inspiring performance and fleshes out the role to near perfection.

The only real gripe I had with “The Scarlet Letter” is that the daughter, whom is supposedly 7 years old, wore a dress that showed off an amount of cleavage that no 7-year-old rightly has.

When her age was mentioned during the course of the play, people actually gasped in disbelief.

The acting itself was solid, and everyone delivered a fine performance. Ann Sonneville, who played the daughter, Pearl, gave a believable performance as a 7-year-old. Her energetic flailing and romping about the stage expressed the amount of dedication she has to her craft.

The story wrapped up very well and didn’t feel like it dragged as plays often do.

“The Scarlet Letter” runs through Sunday. For information, see Page 12.

akiko iwabuchi photo

Junior acting major Ann Sonneville plays a 7-year-old girl in ‘The Scarlet Letter.’