Jack Heifner’s poignant comedy Vanities opened off-Broadway in 1976 and continued there for 1,326 performances with Kathy Bates (as Kathy) in her first NYC role. The play tells the story of three friends at three different stages in their lives: as high school cheerleaders, as college sorority sisters, and as women who have fully ventured into their lives.
Jen Otterman directs a top-tier trio of actresses for her Belfry Theatre production: Ka’Lena Cuevas as Kathy – the level-headed leader/organizer, Becca Bartley as Mary – the impatient free spirit, and Cara Olsen as Joanne – the strait-laced follower.
The script introduces some nuanced differences in the three personalities in the first act, and carries out on the various struggles of sustaining a friendship through life’s many changes in the second and third acts. Ms. Otterman’s cast does a wonderful job portraying Heifner’s stages of female development as each lady’s journey steadily separates them from the others. In the end, the shattered remains become cynical and hurtful. At the end the ladies close by drinking “to forget” their “bygone days.”
(From left) Becca Bartley as Mary, Ka’Lena Cuevas as Kathy, and Cara Olsen as Joanne. (Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)
Ms. Cuevas’ Kathy has perhaps the widest arc – going from confident to unsure, sure-footed to misdirected. It’s a complex conversion that Ms. Cuevas handles well. Conversely, Joanne covers the least ground in her evolution. Ms. Olsen creates a lovable narrow-mindedness in her character, and provides much of the show’s humor. Ms. Bartley’s feisty Mary blossoms into a very different woman from her friends and leaves a trail of extinguished feelings in her wake in this strong performance.
Bottom line: This ensemble totals greater than the sum of its parts and the show is a very entertaining one, full of factors that mirror our own foibles. It plays very well on The Cat’s smallish stage, with a clean set design by Director Otterman. Recommended.
The Belfry Theatre’s Vanities continues at The Cat Theatre, 254 Veteran’s Way, Carmel, through March 15. Ticket information can be found online at thebelfrytheatre.com/index.php/purchase-tickets-belfry-theatre.
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