[rating=5]For those of you who have never had the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble “experience”, now is the time! This wonderful company, dedicated to women’s stories and groundbreaking theater through a female lens, is presenting the World Premiere of “Motherhouse” written by Tuckie White. “Motherhouse” is a deep story of family and secrets. A young woman is home to prepare for her mother’s funeral. Annie ( a solid performance by Jessica Ervin) has enlisted the aid of her aunts to help create an authentic eulogy. Over the 95 minutes of the story, we get to meet them all, hear their personal stories, as well as those that connect, or perhaps disconnect, their lives.
If one is to think about their own family, and how they tend to react to their history, one can find some instances where the characters in this story tend to seem familiar. What is supposed to bring these women together in an act that will pay homage to Annie’s mother, each of the women bring their own “story” to the table and many secrets of their pasts come out. While some are simple, there are some that are so complicated, they tend to bring what might have been a special memory to a sharp halt.
Sharply directed by Azar Kazemi on a set that is almost as real as one can expect on a stage (Lauren M. Nichols), you almost feel that you the proverbial ” fly on the wall” that is often mentioned. The action takes place in the kitchen of Annie’s mother’s home, which is the home that all of her sisters grew up in as well. The house was left to her. Other items were left to the other daughters, but not so much as treasures but as “reparations” for the damages caused by their father.
Kazemi has put together an all-star cast of players to make this ensemble a cohesive unit. Aunt Weezie ( deftly handled by Meighan Gerachis) is the first aunt that we meet. She is the comic character for the most part and does a lot of drinking. The second aunt that we meet is Aunt Tucker (Mary Cross) and for the majority of the first 40 minutes, these are the players. Aunt Lizzie ( a superb character portrayed by Tara Mallen) who keeps being told that she was not there when the older sisters recall past experiences. Yet, she remembers each incident so she must have been there.
The final Aunt, Barb ( the always reliable Jane Baxter Miller) , who has drifted away from the family over the years, marrying a man that was unliked by the family. While she came back for her sister’s funeral, she is unhappy with some of their family history and helps to bring out some of the secrets.
While this story may sound sad in many ways, it is filled with some great comic moments and the mix allows us to stay in the story with great ease. The solid performances by these ladies under the near-perfect direction of Kazemi makes for a delightful theatrical experience- one that will also have you thinking about life and perhaps your own family stories.
There are some humorous tales in this one. A story about goldfish in ice cubes is sheer delight as presented and when Annie is trying to figure out how to do the eulogy, she mentions a video of her mom dancing ( those of you who were Seinfeld fans may recall the “Elain Dance” episode) , but keep in mind, there are some moments that are sad as well, making this a complete story.
Rivendell is a very intimate space with a limited stage area, yet with Nichols set, one feels that they are truly in the kitchen of an older house in Ohio. Gabrielle Strong’s lighting effects are great and the sound (Victoria Delorio) is perfect. The costumes (Janice Pytel) are right on and the props ( boy , are there props) by Ivy Treccani are amazingly done.
“Motherhouse” will continue at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble located at 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago thru May 6th with performances as follows:
Thursdays 8 p.m.
Fridays 8 p.m.
Saturdays 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Tickets are $39 ($17 for students, educators, military/veterans)
SPECIAL INDUSTRY NIGHT- MONDAY, MAY 1 8 p.m.
box office call 773-334-7728
FREE PARKING available at Senn High School parking lot
There is street parking in the area BUT not on Ridge.
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Motherhouse”.
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