Stage Review - Love, Loss, and What I Wore (Lakewood Playhouse)

Stage Review - Love, Loss, and What I Wore
Presented By: Lakewood Playhouse, Tacoma, WA
Date Reviewed: Friday, May 5, 2023
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

I imagine it’s pretty difficult to find someone, especially in these parts, not familiar with vast library of work produced by Nora Ephron.  Known largely for her work in film, and specifically in the romantic comedy genre, she’s more often than not associated with films like Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, and You’ve Got Mail.  She’s also been involved, either through her writing or directing, with other films like Silkwood and Julie & Julia.  What people might not be as familiar with is Nora’s work written or produced for the stage.  Her first foray into the theatre was with the 2002 play Imaginary Friends, a comedy musical about two female writers who reunite in Hell to reflect on their decades long hatred for each other.  She soon followed that up with Love, Loss, and What I Wore, co-written with her sister Delia, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Ilene Beckerman, and currently on stage at the Lakewood Playhouse in Tacoma.  The show, directed here by Brittany D. Henderson, runs through May 28, and is everything you’d expect from a Nora Ephron piece.

Nora had been involved with the Beckerman book from the beginning.  She penned the introduction to it and was immediately drawn to the dramatic possibilities lying therein.  The book resonated with her female sensibility and she knew that, and Beckerman’s method of storytelling could and would work on the stage. The book, and the play, look at life situations from a female perspective, in typical Nora Ephron fashion, through the context of the clothing that typically accompanies them.  The play is a series of  28 monologues, or scenes, and runs the gamut from discussions about undergarments and purses, to the challenges of facing a closet full of clothes but realizing that there is nothing to wear.  The cast at Lakewood consists of eight women, all playing multiple roles in terms of the storytelling, save for Laurie O’Brien who plays the character Gingy.  Gingy is the one whose stories sort of stitch the otherwise unrelated or seemingly random dissertations together, bookending the play with recollections of her personal life, dotted of course with textilian accents.  The stories throughout are largely humorous, but every so often there’s one with a bit of heft to it, as the characters relate some of their more challenging life experiences.  It’s this combination that is the hallmark of a Nora Ephron work, a substantial amount of humor, with a smattering of poignancy, and a whole lot of heart.  These are characters that are real and relatable.  There’s no doubt that the female theatre patrons might find the scenarios a bit more familiar than their male counterparts, but even so, if anyone is married, or has a mother or sister, there is sure to be at least a few pieces that hit close to home.

Lakewood Playhouse is unique to Kitsap and Pierce Counties, as it is completely in the round.  Performing a show like Love, Loss, and What I Wore in the round gives it an intimacy that it wouldn’t have in a more traditional auditorium.  It allows the actors to present more to the audience than at it, giving the production a more immersive feel.  Each of the actors, Jacqui Cain,  Ashley Evergreen, Nikki Hammonds, Karen Noyes,  Laurice Roberts, Angie Shephard,  Julia Wyman, and the aforementioned Laurie O’Brien achieve this in a different way.  The stage itself is simply laid out, two corners with wardrobes, more for setting than anything, though they are utilized a few times in the show, and on the main floor two of what I would call runways, areas for the actors to walk out onto for their respective monologues.  The actors kept to these areas when the entire, or most of the entire, group was called upon, for example in one of my favorite segments, “Clothesline” where they all speak to a certain type of garment or fashion related situation.  I found those to be the most enjoyable, because for no other reason than the actors were all both interacting and reacting to each other.  Contrast that to some of the other pieces where either a single actor or a few were on stage and the others remained seated by the wardrobe area, sitting still and stoically while the others performed.  More interaction and engagement by the entire cast, even when not everyone is on stage performing would have given the show a more natural feel during those pieces.

Individually, the actors each more than hold their own.    Laurie O’Brien commands the stage when she’s telling a story, or relating an experience.  She’s the de facto lead of the show if there is one, as this is largely presented as an ensemble piece.  Laurice Roberts is especially good at connecting with the audience and bringing them into her characters’ stories.  She does well to make eye contact in every corner of the theatre.  Julia Wyman brings an energetic  exuberance to her performance.  Both Jacqui Cain and Ashley Evergreen showed some well rounded versatility in their performances, marked by excellent use of accents in a few of their roles.  Nikki Hammonds and Angie Shephard  are both very good as well, as is Karen Noyes, each able to support Laurie’s Gingy or another character, and also in leading their own monologues.  It’s a solid cast that delivers, save for the particular instances I mentioned above.

The show is put together very well.  It’s right on the cusp of feeling long, but doesn’t cross over into that territory.  It also uses its space nicely, and that’s no easy feat, especially when you have to consider one never knows how full each of the four seating sections of Lakewood will be on any given night.    Director Brittany D. Henderson has managed this expertly, making sure that all corners of the theatre are reached and that her actors bring the audience into the stories where they need to.  Simple as it may seem to put a  show like this on, it’s not without its challenges.  Alyssa Gries, as costume designer, has the actors clad in black, but versus other shows where the costumes may be limited to what an actor is wearing on stage, here she needs to consider the dresses and other clothing that are discussed in the actors’ monologues.  Here, each piece of clothing pulled out from the wardrobe fits the context and the theming of each individual story perfectly.  Lighting is mainly deployed to support the show, and it doesn’t always have to particularly stand out to be effective, as is the case here.  The play is about the stories and after that the actors who tell them.  The technical and creative team are there as support to the storytelling, and in that regard Janna Webber, Rayv’n Vitus, and Scott Campbell have hit their marks.  Oh, I almost forgot, there is one pesky lighting piece that took concerned me when I saw it during last Friday’s opening night performance, but it turned out to be a nice little surprise. Well done.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore will resonate with some more than others.  Men may not be able to take that brief sigh and think, “Ah, yes, that happened to me, too”, and the show may be written more from a woman’s perspective, but it’s no less enjoyable for anyone.  These monologues not about clothing, but how clothing affects and accompanies life experiences are typical Nora Ephron, poignant and funny, heartfelt and real.  The production at Lakewood Playhouse captures all of that, and then some. If Nora were still around today, I think she’d most definitely agree.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore runs onstage at Lakewood Playhouse through May 28. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/. Note that Lakewood Playhouse has returned to mandatory masking for all of its staff and patrons.