2002-2003 Season

Eleemosynary

Sensitive and probing, this masterful play examines the subtle and often perilous relationship between three remarkable women: a young girl, her mother, and her grandmother. "...a play and a production of a caliber rarely seen on the Philadelphia stage...the language is elegant, witty and carefully wrought." - Philadelphia City Paper. "...an engrossing 95-minute entry-alternately funny and poignant..." - Variety. "It is a wonderful job of playwriting." - Minneapolis Star and Tribune. "...a funny, perceptive and eloquently written play..." - St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch.

Staged with utmost simplicity, using platforms and a few props, the play probes into the delicate relationship of three singular women: the grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to assert her independence through strong-willed eccentricity; her brilliant daughter, Artie (Artemis), who has fled the stifling domination of her mother; and Artie's daughter, Echo, a child of exceptional intellect - and sensitivity - whom Artie has abandoned to an upbringing by Dorothea. As the play begins, Dorothea has suffered a stroke, and while Echo has reestablished contact with her mother, it is only through extended telephone conversations, during which real issues are skirted and their talk is mostly about the precocious Echo's single-minded domination of a national spelling contest. But, in the end, after Dorothea's death, both Artie and Echo come to accept their mutual need and summon the courage to try, at last, to build a life together - despite the risks and terrors that this holds for both of them after so many years of alienation and estrangement.

What They Said About It...

Fine actresses prove no frills necessary

"Never have a daughter. She won't like you." Such is the reality and fear that live within the tenuous relationships between three generations of women in BareBones Theatre Group's production of "Eleemosynary." Playwright Lee Blessing, a man, captures the intricacies of female relationships in this touching piece of drama.

Director Dana Childs proves that a good script and solid acting belie the need for fancy sets and extravagant costumes. Northwest School of the Arts freshman Caroline Fisher displays remarkable talent as the granddaughter of strong-willed Dorothea, played by Linda Fisher, and the daughter of the emotionally distant Artie, played by Camille Dewing. As Echo, a child caught between two willful adversaries, she exudes intelligence and common sense.

Like all of us, the three generations of women in this family are victims of the time and place in which they were born. When Dorothea wants to be a college student, she is coerced into being a wife and mother. When her daughter, Artie, wants to be a mother, she is coerced into being a student. Echo, who is just a child, is not allowed to be a child. Fortunately for her, she is mature enough to parent her two elders. Joyfully, the three women successfully redefine themselves into roles in which they excel. And while their relationships to each other are difficult, they never give up on them entirely.

Echo's passion is spelling, and she takes joy from befriending marvelous words such as quiddity (the essential nature of a thing) and eleemosynary (of a charitable nature). Dorothea, who responds to her daughter's pregnancy with the words "you'll be just something a child needs," redefines her life when she realizes "no one holds an eccentric responsible." This revelation gives her the power to fulfill the role that was thrust upon her, while living large on her terms. Artie, intellectually burdened with the inability to forget anything, abandons motherhood to become an academic researcher.

This lovely play is full of dialogue that has a reason to be spoken, and actions that make sense within the context of the characters. Scenic artist Sandra Gray has created a beautiful replica of a Marc Chagall goddess/angel on the stage floor, upon which the characters repose at interludes.

Sometimes children give their mothers more than they deserve. Sometimes mothers are held to impossible standards. And sometimes they have the strength of character to separate the good from the bad.

Creative Loafing March 2003

After becoming acquainted with Lee Blessing's Eleemosynary through a 1990 Charlotte Rep production, I must admit that I wasn't eager to renew my acquaintance with the dark, delicate comedy at SPAC. But BareBones Theatre Group director Dana Childs seems to have a better feel for the three generations of Wesbrook women who are the entire cast -- and why we should find them appealing.

So Echo's final desperate plea for love from her mother detonates with a new breathtaking impact. And with actresses less polished and experienced than Rep's, the whole BareBones effort soars far above mere whimsy and braininess.

Camille Dewing, the most self-assured of the trio, is the intrepid researcher Artie (short for Artemis). She rebels against the spacey eccentricities of her mother by barricading herself in extreme rationality, fleeing both her mother and daughter for the certainties of science. I mostly hate her, but Dewing makes reclamation seem possible.

As Dorothea, Linda Fisher captures the free-spirited matriarch's kindliness and bossiness simultaneously, tethering both to a sunny crusading zeal. Caroline Fisher, as spelling bee champ Echo, still backs into her blocking spots like a neophyte, but her youth and awkwardness ultimately come across as assets, particularly in her climactic monologue.

With Sandra Gray's artwork on the floor of the stage, Corin Beam's empathetic live musical accompaniment, and SPAC's funky theater space, I actually wished I could spend more than 75 minutes with the Wesbrooks. Quite a pleasant surprise.

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