INTRIGUED: Mr. Darcy (Jason Bradley) watches Elizabeth Bennet (Chaon Cross) play piano.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single book in possession of a wide readership must be in want of a large-scale stage production. True-blue Austenites may long for the ironic intimacy of the real Jane. But those who are less acquainted with the five Bennet sisters, their impossible mother and long-suffering father will go for the broader strokes, the almost burlesque aspects of the early-19th-century marriage market.

The notion that bigger is better drives the production of Pride and Prejudice directed by Peter Amster, who also directed the original production at the Northlight Theatre in Evanston. A massive set designed for the Bolton by Robert Koharchik features a turntable that carries actors and furniture on and off, chandeliers and draped portieres that descend for interior scenes and doors that open to reveal inner rooms and gardens. Nothing is too much for this lavish production that seems more appropriate for grand opera than the works of Jane Austen.

Clearly no expense has been spared to bring Amster and most of his Chicago cast to Cleveland and to provide a strong vehicle for launching the graduates of the CPH-Case MFA Program. Nevertheless, a simpler concept might have shown the story to better advantage, just as a single multi-level set might have encouraged the sweep of action and the blending of one scene into another. As it is, there is much stopping and starting as we move from place to place, and Lizzie herself is obliged to serve as narrator, stepping forward at the beginning of each scene with a little recitativ to help us make the transition.

All this spectacle serves the broadly drawn comic characters best. Judith Day's over-the-top portrayal of Mrs. Bennet scores a hit as does Mark Alan Gordon's Sir William Lucas. Nigel Patterson brings a strong Dickensian touch to the role of Mr. Collins. Intern Annie Paul is an engagingly natural Kitty, the breathless and often overlooked Bennet sister. Annabel Armour is impressive as the overbearing Lady Catherine de Bourgh and turns up again as Mr. Darcy's housekeeper in the pivotal scene at Pemberley. Intern Daniel Graham strikes the right note as Mr. Wickham as does Tom Degnan in the role of Charles Bingley.

Chaon Cross is a pert and beautiful Elizabeth, although her blonde good looks and frilly costumes run counter to the Austen formula in which sister Jane is the ultra-feminine beauty and Elizabeth a witty intellectual with "fine eyes" and a sparkling personality. Jason Bradley as Mr. Darcy has the difficult task of pacing his growing infatuation through a lengthy first act in which two ball scenes have been compressed into one. Scarcely has he rebuffed Elizabeth than the two are required to begin the dance that sparks the sexual tension between them.

The adaptation is the work of the late James Maxwell with revisions by Alan Stanford. The dialogue is engaging and the playwright has successfully added much to the ultimate love scenes. However, the structure of the work is out of balance and the decision to use direct narration as a device for bridging scenes not only disrupts momentum but also interferes with the more subtle development of plot and character.

Pride and Prejudice: Through April 13 at Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Ave., 216.795.7000.