By Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron
Based on the book by Ilene Beckerman
Directed by Nancy Hoover
A review by Kate Barry
Entire contents are copyright ©
2012 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.
Call me a rebel, but I have never
really wanted anything to do with fashion or following trends. If a pair of
pants looks good with a certain top, then it’s purely coincidental. My closet
is filled with jackets, shoes and other lost items I haven’t worn, much less
thought about, for ages. Ilene Beckerman must have had a similar story when she
wrote her best-seller, Love Loss and What I Wore. A collection of short
stories and essays tied together around a plucky narrator named Gingy, the book
was turned into a play by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron, who you might know from
When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail. Using prompts inspired
by the contents of a woman’s closet, these monologues tell stories of women
from every background and age. It was a perfect choice for the Eve theatre
company’s inaugural production.
Susan McNeese Lynch plays Gingy,
the ringleader of this exploration of the universal closet for all women. In
her opening monologue, she explains that “these dresses tell a story,” a theme
that resonates through the entire evening. Lynch is an energetic delight as the
focal point for the rest of the monologues. While the other four ladies on
stage were strong with each piece they performed, Lynch kept the production grounded
with each installment of Gingy’s six-part story – a story of falling in love,
losing virginity and multiple marriages. Lynch provides an intimate and reflective
perspective of one woman’s story that is relatable by all.
Julia Leist Adams, Kim
Butterweck, Charlotte Hammett Hubrich and Diane Stretz Thurmond provide voices
for the other stories in this evening of monologues. Leist provided the best
comedic timing with complaints about receiving socks during “My Mother.” Thurmond and Hubrich were sweet and poignant as a lesbian couple in search of
their wedding attire in “Brides.” Each actress provided a full spectrum of the
female perspective with their carefully crafted monologues. Hubrich shined as a
hopelessly infatuated Southern gal in love with her boots and a cowboy who
inevitably breaks her heart. Thurmond’s monologue, “Geralyn’s Story,” about a
young woman with cancer, was a brave portrayal of a twenty-something facing a
deadly disease. The performance of the evening belongs to Butterweck. Her
timing and grasp of the language was both honest and imaginative. “The
Bathrobe,” a monologue about loss and acceptance, was a tragic yet inspiration
performance from Butterweck as she reflects on her father’s second marriage. “I
Hate My Purse,” on the other hand, was wildly funny with a great punch line. My
favorite moments of the night, and the parts where the cast really shined as a
whole, were the “Clothesline” bits. These vignettes ranged in topics from what’s
in the closet, bras, and black clothing to things muttered in a dressing room
and what mother has said. It was in these moments where each actress bounced
one-liners from left to right that the production reached its goal of
celebrating what it means to be a woman.
Eve Theater Company has put
together a very modest looking performance. With an overhead projection of
dresses as a backdrop and stools and podiums, clearly the focus was on the
words. As with any newly established theater company, these are humble
beginnings. But with a production like this, it’s clear that Eve Theater will
continue to have great shows in the future.
Starring: Julia Leist Adams, Kim
Butterweck, Charlotte Hammett Hubrich and Diane Stretz Thurmond, Susan McNeese
Lynch
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
November 1-18, 2012
Eve Theater Company
At The Henry Clay Theater
604 S. Third St.
Louisville, KY 40202
For
tickets call 502-583-8222
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