BWW Reviews: MY MOTHER'S KEEPER Shares Memories of Four Generations of Women in a Show Business Family
By: Shari Barrett May. 10, 2013
MY MOTHER'S KEEPER, written by Jane Press and directed by Robin McKee, is now playing at the Electric Lodge in Venice through June 16. It is a highly autobiographical memory play that moves fluidly back and forth between 1914 when an event involving Press' great-grandmother sets off a cycle of damage and dysfunction, and the present. Mother-daughter dynamics take place within the memories of four generations of women in a show business family, from her great-grandmother all the way down to Press, who is in the play as her adult self, and also as 11-year old Janie (Francesca Farina, sharing the role with Cambell Walker). Ultimately it is an examination of our matriarchal inheritance, with all its inherent - and inherited - blessings and curses. It is a moving, though sometimes very disturbing - yet ultimately healing - piece of work.
Not so loving is the relationship between young Janie and her own mother, Thelma (Della onstage) played with just the right animosity by Susan Giosa. Here is a woman who, like many of us, was convinced the way to live a full life was to learn to cook, get married, and have children. Turns out that world was not what Della wanted so she turned to a life on the stage, which of course took her away from her children for extended periods of time. Those were probably the happiest days for Janie, being able to spend lots of time with her loving Grandmother.
The tender and very close relationship shared between 11-year old Janie (Francesca Farina, who learned Yiddish, the violin, and a Brooklyn accent for the show) and Grandma Ida (L.B. Zimmerman, channeling everyone's loving Bubie) is the centerpiece of the play. The real loving tenderness between the two actresses shines in their scenes together, pulling you into their secret world shared during sleepovers at Grandma's house. During these moments, Ida shares stories about her marriage, tales of her own youth, and ultimately a plastic bag she keeps filled with punch lines from her favorite jokes. "Not the whole story so no one can steal it," Grandma confides. Janie goes on to share Ida's jokes and wit with others in her own small stage comedy act. Farina is a wonder in the scene, telling jokes with an authentic Jewish-Brooklyn accent, plunking out a tune on the violin, and singing a lovely song.
Slipping into 1964, Press explains how the family wound up in Los Angeles with her mother Della in show business and her brother working on "The Munsters." Press' animated delivery of the hysterical story about taking home a caged blackbird from agent Roy Garber's home (where the Beatles stayed), had the audience rolling in the aisles. And of course, on it went when Grandma has to deal with the bird living in the den next to her favorite recliner. "Oy!"
Throughout the play, actual family photographs are shared on a large screen showing the real characters in the play as they looked during the various time periods. Especially heartbreaking is the video of Ida's mother, The Big Bubie (Doll Estelle) taking out her frustrations on Little Ida (Samaya Smith), leaving her injured for life both physically and emotionally.
And of course there are the Mahjong ladies and their weekly games! Held in Ida's home, Janie plays waitress to the ladies who lunch on snacks from the local deli, candy, and coffee. I had to laugh remembering how I was once punished for eating some See's candies before the Mahjong ladies arrived in our apartment for their game. The ladies here, just like in my life, are relatives, neighbors, and old friends, each one trying to one-up the other with their appearance and stories about their lives. While the scene would benefit from faster pacing, the ladies (Barbara Godson, Mari Marks, Laura Julian, and Barbara Turino) were deliciously animated, brilliantly costumed, and got laughs all-around, even from their time-appropriate cigarette smoking.
The play brought back memories of my youth, especially hearing the same Yiddish phrases my family spoke to try and keep me from knowing what they were talking about - but of course I could figure it out just watching their facial expressions and listening to the tone of their voices, just as Janie does in the play. After all, as Grandma Ida says, "It's not what you say, but how you say it."
When I spoke with Jane Press after the performance, she told me of the many women who shared with her during the play's initial run in Carmel, CA, how much the exploits of her family matched their own. That just goes to prove while the humor of this play may be Jewish, the experience of being part of a big, crazy family is universal and each of us turns out to be our mother's keeper in our own way.
WHAT: MY MOTHER'S KEEPER
WHERE: The Electric Lodge - 1416 Electric Avenue - Venice, CA 90291
http://www.electriclodge.org
WHEN: May 10 through June 16, 2013
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm
Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12 at 3:00 and 8:00 pm
PRICES: $28.00 - Group rates available
TICKETS (310) 306-1854
L.B. Zimmerman and Francesca Farina
L.B. Zimmerman and Susan Giosa
Francesca Farina and L.B. Zimmerman
L to R: Barbara Goodson (Rozzie), Mari Marks (Bea), Francesca Farina (Janie), L.B. Zimmerman (Ida), Laura Julian (Seal), and Barbara Turino (Pauline).
Mari Marks, L.B. Zimmerman, Laura Julian
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