The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls, performed by Tara Players at the Irish Club, February 22, 2012
Reviewed by Stephanie Adamov
As the show commences, the audience is lured into this performance of a family drama that pivots on sisterhood rivalries past and present. The death of their father brings the Fine sisters back as adults to reminisce and recall past and present faults and follies that transpired over the course of their childhoods.
Metaphorically, the walls of the attic are painted to resemble a brown moving box with words such as ‘open here,’ ‘caution’ and ‘this side up.’ The sisters are trapped, forced to work together hosting a celebration for their deceased father. The audience watches as each of the Fine sisters has her own Pandora’s box opened throughout the two-hour piece.
Jelly, the youngest of the sisters, who is either creating box art installations or getting trapped in tickle trunks, arouses the audience by inquiring, “What secrets do you hide in your box labeled ‘Do Not Open’?”
The audience was visibly touched by the trio onstage, perhaps because they were able to bond with the sisters thanks to their own dealings with siblings, aging parents and last wills and testaments. Director Ray Cloutier’s approach of keeping the improvisational nature of the collective piece proved possibly more entertaining than a strictly script-based approach. However, there were undeniably times where the script surfaced in the dialogue that broke several moments held on stage. This was noticeable in some of the catfight sequences where the ante was raised slightly too soon and the tone was elevated from adult discourse to farcical hysterics.
The teacher, the lesbian and the artist (oh my) win the audience’s engagement as from children to grown ups… perhaps not much has changed. Though they hold Blackberries instead of pipe cleaner wands, and wear pantsuits instead of Torture dresses, they still act as childish as ever when hosting family and friends after their father’s death. Unwillingness to pick up the cake, reluctance to speak to certain guests; these are the games adult sisters play instead of dress up, make believe and tea party.
The Canadian play, created collectively by Martha Ross, Marie MacDonald, Jennifer Brewin, Alisa Palmer and Leah Cherniak has each of the sisters play a slight variation on a stereotype of different career pursuits for a modern woman. The benevolent eldest sister Jojo, played by Alexis Martin, is ever the English professor. Researching Brecht, quoting Freud, and analyzing the actions of her sisters, she is hypersensitive and succumbs to hysterics as she grudgingly suppresses her sexual passions. She and Jayne, the middle sister played tactfully and scrupulously by Dianna Rasing as the bean counting executive, are constantly bickering and nipping at each other’s heels. Convinced that to everything there is a price tag, Jayne often disagrees with Jelly, the youngest — a self-employed artist.
Jojo and Jayne often ignore Jelly but beg for her to intervene when they refuse to speak to one another. They fail to see their gentle and soft-spoken youngest sister as an adult as they exhaust her patience.
The overloading hysterical tone, though wildly entertaining sometimes, was in my opinion overplayed. While likely constructed to act as a frenzied farce, the comedic rises to hysteria rose too often to climax. Sisterhood bonding and squabbling was lost as the audience was pulled to engage in the hilarity. Jayne arguing with her sister Jojo while only wearing a bra and knickers, while an amusing image, detracted from the disregard the sisters display for Jelly and her plea for recognition.
There was also much to be desired from the set and lighting design. Though there is only Rob Kwade doing a three-handed job as set builder, light and sound tech, the light design was likely hung for utility rather than setting of tone, location and passage of time. Black outs separated the mostly linear and consecutive scenes. Lights could have been optimized to separate events occurring in the attic, living room and kitchen as it seemed curious the sisters should only gather to meet in the attic to have tea, or pound some whiskey.
The attic itself acted as a character of its own, as items filled with memories are exhumed. Though possibly not as cluttered as an attic would be, it would have been entertaining if more boxes filled with labeled goods acted as barriers and obstacles that the women had to run and jump around as they fought.
The attic however, proves to be the location of fond recollections of play times as well as a black hole for one of the most treasured items of the sisters: Mom’s pearls.
Although not to be treated as a toy, the pearl necklace was constantly getting lost and each sister took on some responsibility for its retrieval over the years. Now as adults, they search for the pearls once again, but face a bigger question: which sister deserves to own this precious heirloom.
As the youngest sibling myself, living with aging grandparents, I can only imagine the types of stories and arguments that will come out of unearthing items from the depths of storage. Furthermore, deciding ownership and responsibility for trinkets and treasures may prove to be a monstrous task.
The Fine girls have many surfaces to uncover, and feuds to reconcile. Whether this experience brings them closer as sisters or drives them to become better strangers is for the audience to decide.
The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls by Martha Ross, Marie MacDonald, Jennifer Brewin, Alisa Palmer, and Leah Cherniak, presented by the Tara Players at The Irish Club 654 Erin St., Winnipeg.
Three Sisters, Not Always Fine
Columns
The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls, performed by Tara Players at the Irish Club, February 22, 2012
Reviewed by Stephanie Adamov
As the show commences, the audience is lured into this performance of a family drama that pivots on sisterhood rivalries past and present. The death of their father brings the Fine sisters back as adults to reminisce and recall past and present faults and follies that transpired over the course of their childhoods.
Metaphorically, the walls of the attic are painted to resemble a brown moving box with words such as ‘open here,’ ‘caution’ and ‘this side up.’ The sisters are trapped, forced to work together hosting a celebration for their deceased father. The audience watches as each of the Fine sisters has her own Pandora’s box opened throughout the two-hour piece.
Jelly, the youngest of the sisters, who is either creating box art installations or getting trapped in tickle trunks, arouses the audience by inquiring, “What secrets do you hide in your box labeled ‘Do Not Open’?”
The audience was visibly touched by the trio onstage, perhaps because they were able to bond with the sisters thanks to their own dealings with siblings, aging parents and last wills and testaments. Director Ray Cloutier’s approach of keeping the improvisational nature of the collective piece proved possibly more entertaining than a strictly script-based approach. However, there were undeniably times where the script surfaced in the dialogue that broke several moments held on stage. This was noticeable in some of the catfight sequences where the ante was raised slightly too soon and the tone was elevated from adult discourse to farcical hysterics.
The teacher, the lesbian and the artist (oh my) win the audience’s engagement as from children to grown ups… perhaps not much has changed. Though they hold Blackberries instead of pipe cleaner wands, and wear pantsuits instead of Torture dresses, they still act as childish as ever when hosting family and friends after their father’s death. Unwillingness to pick up the cake, reluctance to speak to certain guests; these are the games adult sisters play instead of dress up, make believe and tea party.
The Canadian play, created collectively by Martha Ross, Marie MacDonald, Jennifer Brewin, Alisa Palmer and Leah Cherniak has each of the sisters play a slight variation on a stereotype of different career pursuits for a modern woman. The benevolent eldest sister Jojo, played by Alexis Martin, is ever the English professor. Researching Brecht, quoting Freud, and analyzing the actions of her sisters, she is hypersensitive and succumbs to hysterics as she grudgingly suppresses her sexual passions. She and Jayne, the middle sister played tactfully and scrupulously by Dianna Rasing as the bean counting executive, are constantly bickering and nipping at each other’s heels. Convinced that to everything there is a price tag, Jayne often disagrees with Jelly, the youngest — a self-employed artist.
Jojo and Jayne often ignore Jelly but beg for her to intervene when they refuse to speak to one another. They fail to see their gentle and soft-spoken youngest sister as an adult as they exhaust her patience.
The overloading hysterical tone, though wildly entertaining sometimes, was in my opinion overplayed. While likely constructed to act as a frenzied farce, the comedic rises to hysteria rose too often to climax. Sisterhood bonding and squabbling was lost as the audience was pulled to engage in the hilarity. Jayne arguing with her sister Jojo while only wearing a bra and knickers, while an amusing image, detracted from the disregard the sisters display for Jelly and her plea for recognition.
There was also much to be desired from the set and lighting design. Though there is only Rob Kwade doing a three-handed job as set builder, light and sound tech, the light design was likely hung for utility rather than setting of tone, location and passage of time. Black outs separated the mostly linear and consecutive scenes. Lights could have been optimized to separate events occurring in the attic, living room and kitchen as it seemed curious the sisters should only gather to meet in the attic to have tea, or pound some whiskey.
The attic itself acted as a character of its own, as items filled with memories are exhumed. Though possibly not as cluttered as an attic would be, it would have been entertaining if more boxes filled with labeled goods acted as barriers and obstacles that the women had to run and jump around as they fought.
The attic however, proves to be the location of fond recollections of play times as well as a black hole for one of the most treasured items of the sisters: Mom’s pearls.
Although not to be treated as a toy, the pearl necklace was constantly getting lost and each sister took on some responsibility for its retrieval over the years. Now as adults, they search for the pearls once again, but face a bigger question: which sister deserves to own this precious heirloom.
As the youngest sibling myself, living with aging grandparents, I can only imagine the types of stories and arguments that will come out of unearthing items from the depths of storage. Furthermore, deciding ownership and responsibility for trinkets and treasures may prove to be a monstrous task.
The Fine girls have many surfaces to uncover, and feuds to reconcile. Whether this experience brings them closer as sisters or drives them to become better strangers is for the audience to decide.
The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls by Martha Ross, Marie MacDonald, Jennifer Brewin, Alisa Palmer, and Leah Cherniak, presented by the Tara Players at The Irish Club 654 Erin St., Winnipeg.
Showtimes: Feb 22-25, 8 pm • Feb 26 2 pm