Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA
through December 11, 2016
by Barbara Stroup
Eight lively actresses grace the Majestic Stage in the
current production of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore.” The steady appearance—on
hangers, one at a time— of a lifetime’s wardrobe prompts memories, both
poignant and amusing. As they take turns describing the events that surround
the occasion when each particular dress was worn, they reveal fragments from
the stories of their lives. Experiences shared by so many women – body
awareness and shame, comical interactions with mothers, sales clerks, and the
men in their pasts – prompt laughter and sympathy.
However, this Nora Efron piece lacks a story arc, character
development and conflict, plot, and other elements we rightly expect of live
theatre. At best, it seems the writer could have used a one-person monologue as
the vehicle for this memoir, in the style of Billy Crystal’s recent “700
Sundays.” We never really get to
know any of these women (we see only one relationship among them), nor are we
told why they have assembled and how they relate to each other. Where does
their bond come from? What prompts these confessional-type revelations? Our
emotions are buffeted about, from sadness to comedy and back again, and
stereotypes keep emerging.
Because their assigned roles vary as well -- each actress
takes on different parts during the play—the audience is further distanced from
the possibility of character growth and familiarity. They vow devotion to
dressing in black, but this production’s lighting makes their black clothing go
flat and dull. Both this absence of costume and the minimal set rob the
audience of visual interest and make this production feel under-funded.
In spite of these limitations, the matinee audience (largely
female) supported the performance with frequent laughter and the almost
universal recognition of women’s shared experiences. Ephron’s script – tying
memoir to outfits – just needed a better concept.
