BWW Reviews: BELLE OF AMHERST Offers a Stunning Portrait of Emily Dickinson

There are so many potential landmines when producing one person plays. Critics and audiences often bemoan how self-serving a one person show can be, and few performers can maintain an audience's attention on their own. If the subject of your show is a historical figure, the challenges continue. Capturing the essence of a real person is exceedingly difficult to do on stage, and the line between authenticity and imitation is often a tough one for a performer to find. If your subject is Emily Dickinson, you have the added obstacle of finding something appealing in the life of the private and reclusive poet. And if a great actress like Julie Harris starred in the original production of your one woman show, the whole matter must be a torturous one to even attempt.

Any production of The Belle of Amherst certainly has its share of hurdles to overcome, and Austin Shakespeare's production tackles the issues head on. This isn't a one woman show or even a show about Emily Dickinson. It's an experience, and an incredible one at that.

While she may be one of America's most celebrated poets, Emily Dickinson was not noteworthy in her lifetime. Though she wrote over 1,800 poems, only a handful were published before her death. She was, however, somewhat of a local celebrity. She was known in her hometown of Amherst as a reclusive spinster. She was withdrawn, obsessed with death and despair, and a social outcast.

Of course, that's what makes Luce's decision to create a one woman show about her such an ingenious one. Dickinson was alone in life. Why should she not be alone on stage? William Luce's play allows Emily to tell her story and her life largely through her words. About two thirds of Luce's script is derived from Dickinson's poems, letters, and diaries. Through Dickinson's own words, Luce shows us both the sadness of Dickinson's seclusion but also her occasional exuberance and joy. Fans of Dickinson will be delighted by when and how Luce uses her work, and newcomers to her will be completely captivated by her unique outlook on life.

Director Ann Ciccolella and actress Helen Merino excel at bring out both the light and dark in Dickinson's personality. Ciccolella's staging is fast paced but full of nuance and easy transitions between laughter and tears. And as Dickinson, Merino is astounding. Anyone who has read Dickinson's poetry or seen the televised Julie Harris performance may think of her as grim, desolate, and depressing, but Merino gives us a more complete picture. Her take on the poet is effervescent, witty, cheerful, but also introspective and sorrowful. She gives us Dickinson's high highs and low lows. Dickinson was a woman who experienced and embraced every human emotion, and Merino does the same in less than two hours.

The challenges inherent in The Belle of Amherst could create a delicate house of cards that could come tumbling down at any moment, but Austin Shakespeare's production is as stable and sturdy as Dickinson's legacy.

Perfection. As Dickinson would say, that is a word to lift your hat to.

Running time: Approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

THE BELLE OF AMHERST, produced by Austin Shakespeare, plays The Rollins Studio Theatre at The Long Center for the Performing Arts located at 701 W. Riverside Drive, Austin, 78704 now thru December 1st. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. No performance on Thursday, November 28th. Tickets are $19-$33. For tickets and information, visit www.austinshakespeare.org.

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