Kramer reviews a 1992 production of'Tis Pity She's a Whore, which updates the setting to Fascist Italy. The critic offers praise for the cast and production as well as for the director's interpretation of Ford's portrayal of male and female values.

The production of John Ford's " 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" that opened at the Public Theatre the first week of April, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, is surprisingly engrossing. Like the production of "Pericles " that Michael Greif directed earlier this season, it features a company of capable actors, two able stars, a consistent vision of the play, and a couple of tour-de-force performances from actors in secondary roles. The stars in this instance are Val Kilmer and Jeanne Tripplehorn, who play the siblings Giovanni and Annabella—Giovanni being the young man who, against some of the best advice in Jacobean tragedy, enters into an incestuous relationship with his...