Lake City Playhouse's presentation of "The Scarlet Letter" by Phyllis Nagy grabs hold of the audience early and doesn't let go.

The tone is dark, the characters seem otherworldly, and they stand at the edge of the woods, both proverbially and literally. The presentation and script is truly theatrical.

Some of the characters and events in this modern telling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel seem familiar. But this tale is told through the eyes of Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne, the bearer of the red "A," as she tries to discover who her father is.

Each member of the seven-person cast portrayed his or her character with equal commitment, and director George Green kept the action flowing with consistent energy.

Chris LeBlanc, last seen in LCP's "Of Mice and Men," embodies Hester's estranged husband, the sinister and hunchbacked Roger Chillingworth. He creeps about the stage like a rat and infuses each scene with wicked energy.

Todd Kehne plays the tortured minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, who is Hester's lover and Pearl's father. Dimmesdale's transformation is the most apparent, as he falls from being a respected pastor to a mad man obsessively digging in the dirt. Kehne's performance shows the most depth and range.

Hester, played by Jillian Kramer, and Pearl, played by Loretta Underwood, are an odd pair. Pearl antagonizes her mother (and everyone else) with her impertinent questions and commentary.

Sometimes Kramer's delivery sounded too much like a modern woman. While both gave consistent performances, a clearer transformation in their characters - from meek to independent, for example - would add more dimension.

Brittani C. Kelly is enjoyable as the witchy Mistress Hibbins. Ron Ford, as jailer Master Brackett, and William Caisley, as the self-important Gov. Bellingham, round out this skilled cast.

The set by Green and Dan Heggem consists of a backdrop of tree trunks, made out of carpet tubes, that allow characters to enter and exit stealthily. It is adorned with dead branches hanging above, dirt on the ground, and the symbolic letter "A."

Jamie Russell's costumes are striking. Chillingworth's thick, embroidered coat and Hibbins' and Pearl's wild hair and clothing all add to the surreal tone of the play.

Nagy's version of "Scarlet Letter," which is so full of symbolism, extreme characterizations, and intellectual ideas, could become preachy and sentimental, but Green's direction and the cast maintain intensity. During the moments where Dimmesdale takes the ribbon out of Hester's hair and touches his daughter for the first time, the audience fell completely silent. Nagy's script, while maudlin at times, also has bits of humor.

From the characters to the set to the costumes, everything in the production points toward the truth is that no one is without sin. That truth, as Dimmesdale discovers, will always be revealed.

"The Scarlet Letter" plays through April 3.

Sandra Hosking, a Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area college instructor and freelance journalist, is a longtime member of the theater community and playwright whose works have been performed across the U.S. and internationally.