The Drowning Girls, an extraordinary script co-written by Daniela Vlaskalic, Beth Graham, and Charlie Tomlinson, receives an extraordinary staging in director Molly Bellner’s offering at Main Street Productions in Westfield.
The 2008 play deals with overlapping memories of three murdered wives wedded to a common husband – one George Joseph Smith, who charmed the ladies off their feet, married them in short order and, after making sure he would benefit from their life insurance and their wills, murdered them in their bathtubs during the early 1910s in Britain. A sordid trio of real-life crimes, to be sure, but as presented by Ms. Bellner and her wonderfully prepared trio of actresses, the production is a compelling study of the sad mishaps as well as the state of womanhood in that era. Each bride’s story is slightly different, but all are based in the second-class citizenship the three felt and faced.
The three ladies – Bessie, played by Jo Bennett; Alice, portrayed by Monya Wolf; and Margaret, offered by Sarah Eberhardt – were all young women of their times, insecure without the assurances of marriage, frightened by the prospects of being a lonely maiden, and dreamily hopeful of finding the saving power of love. None could help but fall for Smith’s well-planned advances, thinking that their dream has finally been answered, and thereby throwing all cautions out the door.
(From left) Jo Bennett as Bessie, Sarah Eberhardt as Margaret, and Monya Wolf as Alice. (Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)
The play presents the story as if these three, united in death, can convey what happened directly to us – telling us and showing us all that they endured with no fourth wall present. The device works tremendously well as they depict all the assorted characters in their tales and smoothly transition from one aspect of story-telling to the next.
Ms. Bellner has crafted the action to be seamless with a heartbeat pace and not one wasted motion. The actresses move about with a confidence their characters never possessed, often tossing some mirth into the play, and never allowing us to look away. They effortlessly blend together into a powerful ensemble, as hardly a line is separate from the next in the flow of their delivery.
Ed Trout’s simple, uncluttered three tub set contributes to that flow and costumes by Cathie Morgan are remarkable – functioning well while either wet or dry. Eric Matters’ lighting design helps to accentuate the changes of mood.
Bottom line: Mrs. K’s reaction was “Community theatre at its best,” and I totally agree. Something very special has been done here and I urge you to be sure to see it. Highly recommended!
The Drowning Girls continues at Basile Westfield Playhouse through March 29. Information about the schedule and reservations can be found at BasileWestfieldPlayhouse.org.
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