A Review of "A Most Dangerous Woman," in Madison Gerry Goodstein, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey George Eliot (Aedin Moloney) with her companion, George Henry Lewes (Ames Adamson), who was married. Lovers of Victorian literature who treasure George Eliot and her writing will find the novelist depicted with dignity and ample biographical detail in Cathy Tempelsman's "A Most Dangerous Woman." It certainly helps to be familiar with Eliot's works, like "The Mill on the Floss" and "Middlemarch," because characters from her novels crop up with some frequency during the story, but that knowledge is not essential to appreciating the portrait of a valiant artist that Ms. Tempelsman delivers. Even people who don't know George Eliot from George Sand - or George Meredith, for that matter - are likely to be intrigued by the struggles that Ms. Tempelsman relates in her study of a celebrated English novelist whose rugged prose and unconventional private life scandalized the hypocritical society of her day. Now being presented in its world premiere by the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in Madison, "A Most Dangerous Woman" proves to be an earnest, informative, somewhat prosaically written drama. The production is driven by Aedin Moloney's fervent portrayal of a woman who became famous under a male pen name. The sharp-featured Ms. Moloney, speaking quickly in husky tones that sometimes drop into a growl, energetically depicts Eliot as a passionate individual whose experience is often reflected in the world of her fiction. Set mostly in the 1850s, the play introduces the evolving writer as Mary Ann Evans, a smart woman in her lonely 30s, self-described as "plucky," who is seen persevering in the man's world of British literature. As a successful editor in London, she discovers her soul mate in George Henry Lewes (Ames Adamson), a congenial man of letters who is unable to divorce his estranged wife. When Lewes eventually encourages Eliot to write fiction, she is depicted as choosing her professional pseudonym to conceal the couple's cohabitation (and to distance herself from the lady authors whose dainty tales she has criticized as a journalist). After producing several acclaimed novels, and chafing under her self-imposed anonymity, Eliot is emboldened to reveal her identity. During the play's second act, the social scandal and critical disapproval following her disclosure wound her sensitive nature and threaten to stifle her creativity. Characters from Eliot novels intermittently appear throughout the play in brief vignettes or to voice observations that are intended to underscore emotional moments in her life and the social prejudices of her times. "You may try, but you can never imagine what it is to have a man's force of genius in you, and yet to suffer the slavery of being a girl," a figure from "Daniel Deronda" remarks. Other key people in the play are Eliot's censorious brother, Isaac (Rob Krakovski), who condemns her lifestyle and literature; her best friend, Barbara Bodichon (Deanne Lorette), a feminist who encourages her ambitions; and John Blackwood (John Little), her long-suffering publisher. Although the playwright's use of Eliot's fictional characters serves well to illuminate the novelist's personality, the oppressive outside world that Ms. Tempelsman creates is not as persuasive or formidable as it might be. Eliot's detractors are invariably depicted as chauvinists and gossips whose adverse opinions are obviously not worth merit. Ms. Tempelsman's dialogue tends to be indirect and occasionally is marred by anachronistic phrases such as "don't get me wrong" and "once she goes public" that are jarring against the authenticity of the excerpts taken from Eliot's works. Richard Maltby Jr., the director, provides a cogent production. A spare setting designed by Nicholas Dorr fluently deploys a few pieces of furniture upon an otherwise bare stage framed by Victorian brackets. Rippling piano music from various Romantic composers lends some period charm. Besides the spirited Ms. Moloney and the good-natured Mr. Adamson - whose expansive presence as Lewes obviously sweetens the novelist's anxious existence - there are seven actors in the cast, who assume numerous roles in the production. Effectively dressed for the middle of the 19th century by Hugh Hanson, the costume designer, the ensemble performs its many tasks quite capably. "A Most Dangerous Woman" by Cathy Tempelsman, is at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, through Oct. 12. Information: shakespearenj.org; (973) 408-5600.