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Regional Reviews: New Jersey Let the Play Begin: Also see Bob's review of Lend Me a Tenor
The audience first sees Julia in a rather bare room sanctioning the stage setting which includes a desk and chair, and a bench. She empties a vanity case filled with cadged artifacts from her mother Rosemary's life. These include two small bells. Julia informs us that when she was little, her mother toured Europe often, leaving her behind with a governess. Rosemary would send her souvenir bells with a note, telling her to "ring the bell and think of me." Over the course of the next hour or so that it will take to perform this one-act play, Julia will conjure and/or have her mind intruded upon by images of her parents, Rosemary and "Papa," and Elizabeth, Rosemary's accompanist, friend and lover. Julia will also banish one or the other at varying interludes. And, although we will observe the three in the corporeal forms of actors, Judith Anna Roberts, Hal Robinson and Susan Blommaert, respectively, they are only wispy figments of Julia's imagination who never rise to the level of being actual three dimensional human characters. Neither is there actually a play here. You see, Julia keeps beginning the play over and over as she tries to figure out how, when and where she will present her imagined figments. First, elderly versions of Rosemary and Elizabeth meet after decades of separation at an outdoor concert in Central Park. No, Julia decides, let's begin as Rosemary and Elizabeth are rehearsing for a European concert appearance. Julia can't complete the scene as Papa intrudes with his memories of his first meeting with Rosemary when they were in college. Julia banishes him. However, although Julia doesn't want to hear it, Papa discusses his own dalliance with a woman who operated a beauty salon in her home while leaving Julia with a seamstress who lived below. More scenes, more intrusions —Rosemary and Elizabeth try to stifle Julia's attempts at writing; Papa encourages her; Julia talks in a tortured, poetic manner about a bleeding woman in a doctor's office trying to save a baby without a heartbeat. Julia talks of laying in a field waiting for a passionate suitor to arrive, "he will make requests and she will comply." With one hand tapping her vulva, Julia says "the sun drenched woman applauds herself". The figment of Rosemary tells her, "it is not nice to applaud yourself". And there is more ... and more. Fairly early on, it is clear that Julia is seething with rage at each of her imagined figments. She is angry at having been ignored, abandoned and abused by them as each went off in pursuit of carnal pleasures. Her rage is crippling her ability to write about them. Of course, playwright Ayvazian is trying to use the framing device of a writer's struggle to tell a story in fragments. However, there is precious little in them to coalesce. We never learn anything about the inner lives and motivations of the three imaged figments. Even factual details of their lives are sparse. It seems that Julia (or do I mean Ayvazian?) has neither any true interest in them, nor in the ability to write about them. Thus, all that we are left with is the presence of a blocked playwright who is seething with uncontrollable, self destructive rage over the neglectful treatment which she received as a child at the hands of her parents and Elizabeth. It is neither an attractive nor sympathy-inducing portrait. Ultimately, Julia sits the figments of her imagination together on a bench. However, Julia has not had any catharsis or insight nor shown some maturation which might make this meaningful. Julia now tells the audience that she will continue tomorrow. Ah, we think and hope, come the second act, the play will finally begin. This is not to be. Julia (and Ayvazian) have a change of heart, and what we have seen is all that there will be. Act one curtain, final curtain. Leslie Ayvazian is a solid and scarily fierce Julia. Her rage approaches dementia. Perhaps it should be toned down a bit, perhaps not. It is certainly a strong, convincing performance. Adding much color to the underdeveloped female lovers, Judith Anna Roberts is appropriately dignified, refined and cold as Rosemary, while Susan Blommaert melts a little only toward Rosemary and is inflexibly domineering to Julia. Hal Robinson is fine as the even less clearly defined "Papa." Noted actress Blair Brown directs unobtrusively. The minimal, effective setting by Chris Skeens and Michael Krass' appropriate costumes round out a solid production. Now, let the play begin. Rosemary and I will continue performances through February 27 (Thurs., Fri. & Sat. 8 P.M.; Sun. 5 P.M.) at the Passage Theatre Company's Blue Mill Playhouse, Front and Montgomery Streets, Trenton, NJ 08605. Box Office: 609-392-0766; online www.passagetheatre.org. Rosemary and I by Leslie Ayvazian; directed by Blair Brown Cast: Julia .......... Leslie Ayvazian Rosemary .......... Judith Anna Roberts Elizabeth .......... Susan Blommaert Papa .......... Hal Robinson
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