Loading ...Love, Loss & What I Wore
Toronto Panasonic Theatre, until September 4
Reviewed by Ron Singer
Love, Loss and What I Wore is about memories, mammaries and much, much more. It’s a play based on shared experiences primarily dedicated to women’s dependence and obsession with clothing and their bodies. It’s a delightful afternoon or evening’s entertainment aimed mostly at women, 20 years old and older, but in my opinion, will probably be more meaningful to those over 40 and it can, most definitely, also resonate for the ‘thoughtful’ male.
This play is based on a book by Ilene Beckerman, who had saved all of her clothing and then, at one point later in life, when she realized that there were interesting and nostalgic memories and stories associated with each saved item, wrote a book telling those stories. The Ephron Sisters, Nora and Delia, then created this play by taking that book and expanding the concept and adding stories from other women.
Love Loss and What I Wore features a stellar rotating cast, starting this past week (July 21st) with Mary Walsh, Louise Pitre, Sharron Mathews, Andrea Martin and Paula Brancati, who will then pass on the story-telling duties in several weeks’ time to five other superb Canadian actresses. This production and script in the hands of these truly talented actors, offers the audience ample opportunity to both laugh and cry, since the stories range from laugh out loud comedic to poignant, sad and downright tragic or embarrassing, like the young, fashionably dressed woman who accidentally stained someone’s brand new and very expensive white sofa, because she unexpectedly started menstruating.
The actors actually sit on chairs the entire time and take turns, either telling or reading their stories. But at no time was I ever distracted or bored by the lack of costumes, props, scenery and/or movement. These versatile performers were always able to bring the characters and their stories to vivid life. And while all of these performers are as adept at handling the comic moments as they are at the sad or tragic, Andrea Martin, not surprisingly, stands out with her comic turns.
In some instances it’s the occasion that leads to memories of the clothes worn, while in other instances, it’s the exact reverse, an item of clothing reminds the storyteller of a special event.
And the myriad of topics covered by these memories range from aging to lipstick, Madonna’s influence on fashion, proms, shirts, panties, shoes, weight, jewelry, mirrors, shopping, purses, brides, mothers, bras, changing sizes, wedding days, divorces and very familiar and probably universal phrases like, “I’ve got nothing to wear, I only look good in black and I can’t find my…”, to name but a few of the subjects with which almost all women and girls can identify.
For those of you familiar with the play, The Vagina Monologues, you’ll probably find this play similar because of the staging and the emphasis on women’s concerns, but it is certainly less provocative.
This play with an American cast, has been packing them in off Broadway in New York for just under a year now and my guess is it’ll be just as successful here in TO.
About Ron Singer: Artistic Director Emeritus of The Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts, former Chair of the Department of Theatre at York University, former entertainment critic (CFRB Radio and Standard Broadcast News), and former arts and entertainment reporter (CBC Variety Tonight).
by Editor
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Loading ...[Tags: theatre critic, theatre review, Toronto theatre]