BWW Reviews: OUT LOUD Kicks Off Third Season with Unique and Exciting FEFU AND HER FRIENDS

There are an endless number of ways for a new theater company to make its mark. In a crowded artistic and theatrical landscape, a fledgling company must find a way to stand out and be noticed. A way to make its voice heard. At that, some will succeed spectacularly while others will fail just as spectacularly. Now entering its third season, OUT LOUD Theatre has begun to carve out quite a successful path for itself. Last season's Metamorphoses proved just how talented and skillful the company could be at pure storytelling. This season's opening show, Fefu and Her Friends, allows the company to demonstrate equal talent in bringing a distinctive voice and vision to a theatrical event that is entertaining and exhilarating.

The titular Fefu is a woman, living in the 1930s, who is hosting a gathering of women at her home. As it turns out, they have assembled to plot and plan for a charity fundraiser related to education. While that is the general reason they have come together in this time and place, the preparations for the fundraising event are secondary to the play. What is really at the heart of this piece are the inner lives of these women, the tragedies, loves, losses and friendships that have shaped them up until this point in their lives.

If that sounds a bit vague or ambiguous, it is. At least, it is vague and ambiguous some of the time, which is most likely exactly how playwright Maria Irene Fornes intended it to be. Fornes was known for a style that incorporated absurdist or avant-garde elements and often used playing spaces in unconventional or non-traditional ways, including creating immersive theatrical experiences for an audience. Those elements are on full display here, although there are also moments of crystal-clear realism as well. Fornes' script goes in and out of that realism, allowing the audience to connect with a very true and relatable moment, and then jarring them into something strange and unfamiliar.

While that can be a very effective tool for a playwright, it can be hit or miss when it comes to an audience member's enjoyment of the play. While some audience members will follow the play's various elements and seemingly disconnected action with no problem, others may be confused, as was one audience member who actually did turn to me and say, "I'm so confused." It is a play that asks for an audience member's full attention to and acceptance of the conventions, as unfamiliar or strange as they may seem. It's also a play that does not provide all the answers, as Fornes leaves some blanks empty, so the audience can fill them in later. Some plays end with a blackout, curtain drops, actors bow and the audience never speaks of it again. This one ends by asking, perhaps demanding, that the audience ruminate over what they have experienced, which is, again a credit to Fornes and her writing.

Fornes was also known as a feminist playwright and that side of her work is evident throughout this play as well. It's never overwhelming though, she does not hit the audience over the head repeatedly with a feminist sledgehammer. Instead, she sprinkles the messages throughout the play, occasionally hitting the accelerator and driving the feminist point home hard and fast, while at other times dialing it down so that the feminist voice almost disappears. She is a writer who knows how to use all of the tools at her disposal, varying and balancing them, to create a thought-provoking and powerful piece of theater.

For this production, OUT LOUD has extended the focus on feminism to the entire production. In addition to the all-female cast, there is also an all-female crew who created this show, from first vision to final performance. Artistic Director Kira Hawkridge, who also directed this production, has stated that she wanted to provide a platform for female expression and representation, something for which this play is perfectly suited. The fact that she so unquestionably accomplished that goal is just one of the many things about this production that make it worthy of praise and applause.

One of those reasons is the mere choice of this play, which is a bold choice for a young theatre company trying to establish itself. As mentioned before, it's not necessarily the most crowd-pleasing play or one guaranteed to win over every audience member. To a certain extent, it's risky, and kudos to Hawkridge for taking that risk. Even more kudos for pulling it off so successfully. She has crafted a wonderfully immersive experience where the audience moves around the theater, following the action of the play from one playing space to the next. At times, especially early on, things can be a little confusing and feel disconnected, but there are moments where Hawkridge's staging truly creates the feeling of a real world that we have entered into. We're not just watching the characters as they go about their lives on this day, we are living the day with them.

Of course, part of that success is a cast of actors who create the real people who inhabit this fascinating world. To that end, Hawkridge has assembled a uniformly gifted group of young actresses, every one of them with stage presence and charisma to spare.

Leading the way as Fefu is Sarah Leach, delivering a powerful performance. Tall and striking, Leach creates a fascinating journey for this woman who travels from an adventurous free spirit to an emotional, broken wreck. It's unfortunate that Fornes doesn't give us a little more explanation or background on Fefu and what is really happening with her but, again, blanks for the audience to fill in. Ambiguities aside, Leach's creation of this real, believable human being is top notch from start to finish.

Leach sets a high bar for the rest of the cast but they all rise to the occasion. Alex Maynard is mesmerizing as Cindy, another character we'd like to get to know better since Fornes doesn't give us much depth in the text. Maynard brings an intensity to every scene she is in and has a number of great moments, including some that are completely silent. Speaking of which, the astonishing Paige Barry is as talented as Maynard at communicating reactions and feelings without speaking a word. A rare talent, Barry creates a fully realized outer life for the character but also seems able to experience and express the entire world using only her eyes. When Maynard and Barry spend a scene alone together, there is a palpable and electric chemistry between them that cannot be faked.

Bringing an electricity all her own is the stunning Aubrey Dion as Christina, the woman who is the outsider or new kid in this particular class. It's impossible not to watch and believe Dion as she crafts a character who is trying to understand and fit into this group of people. It's also a character who is given more depth and development than most in the play and Dion sinks her teeth into it, giving a fully committed, nuanced and captivating performance.

While the four other characters tend to be written with less depth and development, the talented actresses are no less enchanting in their roles. Paula and Cecilia are mostly there to provide a fairly trite subplot about their previous love affair but Mary Beth Luzitano and Lauren Ustaszewski are great in the roles. As Paula, Luzitano creates a superb struggle between a sassy, brassy exterior that hides a sensitive, emotional inner life which occasionally erupts to the surface. Ustaszewski's Cecilia gets one of the worst entrance moments ever but is luckily given much better material later on. Not wasting any of it, Ustaszewski crafts a wonderfully awkward and instantly relatable life for the character.

As Emma, Erika Rethorn lights up the stage with her energy and charisma, although the character really doesn't do much else. Beloved and put on a pedestal, Emma is the group's spiritual leader and inspiration, but we don't get the chance to see much of the real person underneath all of that. Still, Rethorn seems to be having a great time playing the part and is a joy to watch. Finally, Alexis Ingram is the most underutilized of the cast, in the role of Sue. Ingram has a wonderful natural joy and charisma about her, bringing humor and as much depth as she can to a role that doesn't really get the chance in the script to go very far.

As of the writing of this review, OUT LOUD's website states that every performance, even the two added ones, are sold out (altough you can and should take advantage of the waiting list option). This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it means they are getting the attention and the audiences they deserve. Bad because, with few performances and limited seating, the show won't be seen by even more people. And while this show puts the emphasis squarely on women artists and feminine themes and messages, it should be seen by everyone, both women and men alike. No one should miss this opportunity to witness just how brilliantly talented all of these women truly are.

Fefu and Her Friends has been extended through March 8th, but all performances are currently sold out. Waiting list tickets can be reserved through the group's website, www.outloudtheatre.org. Tickets are $15 or $10 for students and seniors. Performances are at the Mathewson Street Theatre at 134 Mathewson Street in Providence (upstairs in the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church).

Pictured (L to R): Paige Barry and Aubrey Dion. Photo by Nile Scott Shots.

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