The Ladies from Fall River: A Speculation
by Robin Roberts
Georgia Repertory Theatre, Athens
October, Year 2
I dislike titles with colons, but in this instance it seems important to put the second half on a par with the first. The ladies are the Borden sisters, Lizzie (Suzanne Jordan Roush) and Emma (Karen Vesper), and the Irish domestic, Bridget Sullivan (Nina Jones). Lizzie's trial for double murder was the sensation of 1892, and the story still has power to captivate at least one playwright. (Three, if you count Kaufman and Hart in The Man Who Came to Dinner.)
So why is "speculation" a key to this work? Roberts uses the reenactment convention in some crucial scenes and sequences, putting trial transcripts and reported sermons in the mouths of the players, but the shape of the action turns out to be governed by his own blue-skying about what happened in Fall River.
What a pleasure to see a new property that looks finished. It doesn't count against Roberts that he has been working on the script for 15 years; by revising and workshopping and revising again, he has made a play that works. It wouldn't quite be right to call it experimental in form, but fresh, yes, it's surely fresh. Three women play the ladies; three men (Harold M. Leaver, J. Joe Sykes and Jake Dogias) play Mr. Borden, prosecuting and defending lawyers, preachers, reporters, and I couldn't keep track of what other roles. Set and props are minimized: in this design (Bradley T. Hellwig), three wry courthouse windows, three windowseats, a couple of hankies and a hand axe. And the whistles, which the men use to punctuate the action. The ladies wear full period dresses, the men shirtsleeves (costumes by Tina B. Hantula). Two acts.
The script is tight, but I have to say that the choreography is just as central to the production. Director Stanley Longman has a long record doing commedia dell'arte, and here he gets every bit of value out of it. The players weave tracks, change levels, and arrive at the right spot at just the right moment to receive movements from others on stage. Voices come in antiphonies, rounds ("Lizzie Borden took an axe . . .") and choruses. While Lizzie gets the most stage time, the show remains an ensemble piece.
The Ladies from Fall River: A Speculation closes Friday and you won't have a chance to see this production, but keep an eye out for a property that is likely to get more exposure.
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The Ladies from Fall River