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At The Toronto Centre for the Arts (former Ford Centre) Studio Theatre. 5040 Yonge Street, Toronto
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The Sisters Rosenweig |
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Sisters drama unfolds at Fairview
Mar. 18, 2005 Wendy Wasserstein is a gifted playwright and her scripts are often crowded with literary and historical allusions. Her 1992 play
The Sisters Rosenweig references Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters in
both its script and its title. There is a Chekhovian feel to the
play where little seems to be happening, but a lot is going on.
Amicus Productions (in co-produced with Teatron Theatre) is presenting an entertaining and thoughtful production The Sisters Rosenweig at Fairview Library Theatre. Director Ari Weisberg and the cast have given the play careful consideration. Each of the performers completely understands the motivations of their characters. The eldest sister, Sara, has a successful career as an international banker, is raising a teenaged daughter and has recently had a hysterectomy. Middle sister, Pfeni, is a globetrotting journalist with a bisexual boyfriend. Youngest sister, Gorgeous, has become a radio show host giving advice even as her own marriage hits some potholes. The women are characterized by their connection to their Jewish background: Sara discounts it, Gorgeous revels in it and Pfeni travels the world as the proverbial wanderer. As they celebrate Sara's 54th birthday, tensions mount, old arguments erupt again and there is even a hint of romance for Sara in the form of a purveyor of synthetic furs. Kathryn Morgan is terrific as Sara. Through everything she says - and a good deal of what she doesn't say - Sara's feelings, confused or not, are apparent. She also creates a warm bond with Sara Price, who plays her free-spirited daughter, Tess. As the celebrated Gorgeous, Maureen Dorey-Lukie milks every laugh out her role, without ignoring the pathos. Heather Goodall as Pfeni gets some of the wordier speeches as befits a globetrotting journalist. She occasionally trips over some of the words. Is this the character? The actress makes it seem so. The men get less attention from Wasserstein, but Scott Cameron as Tess's revolutionary boyfriend and Brian Abbott as Sara's gentleman friend are each given moments to shine. Ted Powers is properly flamboyant as the bisexual Broadway director dancing around the living room in purple underwear. Best of all, Stephen Flett gives a sensitive performance as the furrier who falls for Sara. Weisberg directs his production at a crisp pace that occasionally undercuts the text. The pacing compensates for an overly long script, but leaves little time to consider the content of some of Wasserstein's more densely written speeches. Like the plays of Chekhov, there is much to consider after the final curtain falls. - The Sisters Rosenweig continues at Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Dr., through Saturday, March 19. All performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16 and available by calling 416-860-6176.
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Teatron Toronto Jewish Theatre | Office 41 Warwick Ave. Toronto ON M6C 1T7 | 416-781-5527 | info@teatrontheatre.com Copyright 2009 (c) Teatron Theatre. Last Updated 09/23/2011
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