What I liked
The show rests on the monumental, elemental, towering and powerful performance of Mary Chieffo as five noble, tragic women from history and literature. Commitment and focus are inadequate words to describe the depth of her work. Any one of the characters would leave an actor wasted on the floor. Five of them combined defies conception.
I LOVE the way the writing drops us directly into the moment-to-moment experience of their lived reality. Subtle passes of information from unseen/heard characters register deeply, and build subtly to believably volcanic reckonings.
What I didn't like
Not a criticism at all, but an observation: Because the writing studiously avoids exposition, the piece asks a pretty deep cultural knowledge of its audience. I wonder if someone without a background in classical theatre/literature might struggle to connect.
My overall impression
Need your heart ripped out and dissected before your eyes? Let Mary Chieffo and Ellie Pyle be your guides!
