” Love, Loss and What I Wore “

Highly Recommended **** Several years ago, I was able to watch a piece written by the Ephron women, Delia and her mother, Nora ( best known for  “Sleepless in Seattle”) called “Love, Loss and What I wore”. This is a charming collection of stories as told through five actresses over two acts. The original production I witnessed was star-studded and was presented with lots of glitz at what was then Drury Lane Water Tower ( I am pretty sure it was that long ago) and is now Broadway Playhouse ( still at Water Tower Place). While that is a charming, intimate space, the current production, presented at Oil Lamp Theater in Glenview is FAR more intimate in its quaint and VERY intimate space. I think there are 60 seats which shows just how intimate, and if you are in the first row, you can almost touch the five ladies who make this show work.

Directed by Elizabeth Mazur Levin, this collection of short stories is narrated by five delightful, and very different women. These women tell us stories that deal with times of their lives, some very happy and positive, others downers and unhappy. We learn about their loves, their families, their first bra buy ( after all, this is a ladies’ story book of past memories),  why they choose “black” for almost every garment in their closet, the special purse and how it serves ( or doesn’t  serve) its purpose, their wedding (s) and so much more.

Based on the original book of stories written by Ilene Berkerman, and retold as narratives handled by five women instead of one by the Ephron’s, the cast of ladies has worked very hard to make it seem as if their own. Anne Marie Lewis takes on the lead role and she is a welcome addition to this wonderful venue in the heart of Glenview. She has a strong sense of the character and her stories and conveys each to us with heart and soul. Newcomer Madeline Bunke, the tallest of the quintet of actresses has great comic timing and uses her face to make a point ( when needed) and another newcomer, Katie Barberi  is dynamite. I think, due to her Hispanic ethnicity, they have altered the script a bit to include some Spanish phraseology and mention of Little Village and Chicago. It worked for me!

Nicola Howard, an Oil Lamp regular, shines with her story-telling .The last of the five women is Gabrielle Gulledge, yet another newcomer to this stage, who handles “dry humor” with great style and grace and when they spoof dress names such as Eileen Fisher, you know she is not spoofing!. To do a play like this, all five of the ladies must work as a unit, rather than five story-tellers who appear on the stage at once. They must not compete for the attention of the audience, but rather work as one actual story-teller in different phases of  their collective “life” ( or in reality the life of Ilene Beckerman).

Most of what we see and hear is based on actual facts and while there is a great deal of comedy in these memories and stories, there are also “downers” that life serves us all, from time to time. We learn about dealing with divorce, losing a child, having breast cancer, and much more. In tonight’s audience, I was one of three men ( had it not been for the other two men, I would have fit into the “token” department, and while I did not catch all of the humor of the stories, I did get most of it. I , myself can’t relate to these experiences in life, but having had three wives, a daughter and several grandkids of the female sex, I get it! I know that the women in my audience tonight had a ball. It took them awhile to applaud as each scene ended and transitioned into the next story, but once they got the hang of it, they did it again. This cast deserves it!

The set fr this production is simpler than most of the shows at Oil Lamp, with some sliding frames and some great works of art design showing some of the fashions that are part of their lives. They do not acknowledge to set design, props or sound. In fact, only the lighting person (David Miller) gets credit. They should post all of the tech people as they are the ones that make this show possible and workable, which of course make sit memorable for the audience.

“Love, Loss and What I Wore” will continue at Oil Lamp Theater located at 1723 Glenview Road ( just west of Waukegan Road/route 43) thru June 3rd with performances as follows:

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 847-834-0738

www.oillamptheater.org

Plenty of free parking. Oil Lamp is a BYO theater and they will keep your wine chilled and supply the glasses. Soft drinks are no charge and they have “goodies” for snacking on before, during and after the show, including some great cookies.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Love, Loss and What I Wore”