Review: LOVE, LOSS & WHAT I WORE in Phoenix

Theatre Artists Studio kicks off its 2016/17 season in high fashion style with Nora and Delia Ephron's LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE, based on the book by Ilene Beckerman and anecdotes from friends.

As Gingy (Beckerman's nickname), Marcia Weinberg shares her life story by the clothes she wore. What was life like before five children? Just consult her closet and what you discover is usually hilarious.

From school clothes to prom dresses, wedding gowns to starting-over outfits, Gingy's recollections are reflected by 10 women who flit in and out of her resale shop like moths attracted to a bright light.

Weinberg is worth the price of admission, but outstanding scenes featuring Martha Welty (purses), Alaina Beauloye (rape) and Mary Coleman (cancer) add an emotional discourse that could only have come from Beckerman, the Ephrons and TAS director Patti Suarez.

Attempts to update Beckerman's fashion scrapbook with things like Pokémon Go were probably lost on most of the audience. But Suarez is likely trying to expand the theatre's audience, not unlike what Karen Lynn Carpenter did when she cast actresses whose ages ranged from 25 to 63 for the Off Broadway debut in 2009.

Congratulations to TAS newbie Carol Gibson and veterans Barbara Acker, Marney Austin, Ashley Faulkner, Delores Goldsmith, Julie Lee and Angee Lewandowski for adding levity and sobriety to this fine production.

Some men may appreciate this dramedy, but probably not as much as women who have lived through lifelong clothes crises. If you've ever worn a poodle skirt, micro mini or DVF wrap dress, this show is definitely for you, your daughter, mother and grandmother.

LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE runs through September 18 at Theatre Artists Studio, a stone's throw from Paradise Valley Mall. Just as Gingy's Resale Shop sign says "Buy Local", remember that if you're hungry before or after the show.

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