BWW Reviews: LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE at Omaha Community Playhouse

The house was estrogen-filled last night at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Packed with women of all ages and a handful of brave men, the audience responded with knowing bursts of laughter as they listened to five women on stage talk about marking memorable occasions by what they wore.

LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE was written by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 bestseller by Ilene Beckerman. Nora received Academy Award nominations for her original screenplays "Silkwood," "When Harry Met Sally," and "Sleepless in Seattle." She co-wrote other romantic comedies such as "You've Got Mail" and "Hanging Up" with her sister Delia. They took much of the content for this play from Beckerman's book, and added anecdotes solicited from their friends, including Rosie O'Donnell. The play ran Off Broadway and claimed the distinction of becoming the second-longest running show in Westside Theatre's history. It won the 2010 Drama Desk Award.

Under the capable direction of Amy Lane, Charleen Willoughby, Judy Radcliff, Caitlin Mabon, Sonia Keffer, and Teri Fender take us with them on a personal roller coaster as they speak their stories of love and loss (and what they wore.)

Charleen as Gingy (so called for the ginger-colored hair she was born with) is the continuity thread that weaves the stories together. Gingy's fashion illustrations (note the claw hands!) are projected onto a screen behind the women on their stools. The sketches begin with her Girl Scout uniform and evolve with her as she transforms from adolescence to three marriages, divorces, and the loss of a child. The lights fade out on her as they spotlight the other four who take turns, and sometimes overlap with rapid fire comments, running the gamut from dating to death, always connecting these stories with what they were wearing at the time.

The clothing and accessories are not the story, however. Although there is talk about Juicy Couture and Eileen Fisher and Vera Wang, the apparel is metaphoric. When the women talk about the desirability of black, the addition of a pink scarf is more than an accessory. Choices between heels that make your legs look great and comfortable Birkenstocks that allow you to think are thoughtful decisions taken with a side of hilarity. Preferred cool Bohemian styles nixed by mothers who insist on buying sensible "outfits" make us smile...no, laugh uproariously, because we can relate. But mothers who say, "Don't you want to look nice?" or "You'd be so attractive if only..." touch a sensitive nerve for more than a few of us.

There are some bitter moments. Is it the well-loved shirt that I long for, or is it the guy that disappeared at the moment the shirt went missing? Was it the color of the trim on my sweater that made him choose a girl wearing a different color? Was it the length of my skirt that gave him silent permission to rape me?

There are several poignant moments. There is the too-soon loss of a mother and the wrenching reminder of her bathrobe, the love-hate relationship with boots, the yearning for a favorite dress or a store-bought dress. Interwoven with the sad tales are wildly entertaining stories of jumpsuits and bra fittings and prom dresses. Women will relate. Women will feel they are in a room with their closest girlfriends. This is most definitely a play for women about women.

But men will find it fun and enjoyable.

There are some hilarious moments. Teri Fender is outrageously funny as she describes her mother buying her an "outfit" with plaid pants and a crocheted vest in her teen years when her only desire was to look cool; or as she describes her traumatic bra-fitting experience with Marvelene. Her facials are guaranteed to make you snort your drink out your nose. Judy Radcliff draws deliciously horrified howls from the audience as she relays an anecdote about her paper dress (remember those?...they weren't around long for a reason) and her period. Her retorts as a mother are spot-on. They ring true.

Sonia Keffer debates the merit of looking fabulous in heels over being able to think with a subtle humor that is just as funny as outbursts by others in the ensemble. Caitlin shares how it feels to be unable to lose weight and we feel her pain. Charlene quietly tells us her life story though her sketches, remaining in the background for much of the time, but popping back in to weave her story.

The set by Jim Othuse is simplistic. Five high stools and stands for holding the scripts, plus a screen behind them are all that are on stage. That is all that is necessary. It is effective. Rather than drawing the eye away from the characters, the stripped-down set enables us to focus on them.

The pace of the show- the script itself- is a bit irregular...perhaps like life itself: sometimes fast and furious, sometimes slow and steady. The performances on preview night were also sometimes great and sometimes just okay. I wasn't sure if it was intermission or if it was the end of the show, and the actual ending was strangely abrupt. But! This is one show that I think all women will identify with. It is funny on so many levels because we recognize the truth in it. We see ourselves. We've shared many of the same problems and delights and probably even have our own memorable clothing that marked those events. Amy and her cast do. Don't miss their stories in the program and above all, don't miss the stories of LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE.

Photo Credit: Robertson Photography

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