| Memory House |
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STAGE REVIEW
Coming to terms with college and teens
By Sandy MacDonald, Globe Correspondent | April 16, 2007
Anyone who has ever sent a child off to college knows that the process is no picnic. First comes the phase of active
alienation, in which the almost-adult picks fights and criticizes every aspect of your being -- all in the interest, presumably, of
individuating so as to separate. Handle this challenge well enough, and the form that success takes is loss.
In Kathleen Tolan's insightful "Memory House," enjoying an exemplary production at Chelsea's TheatreZone, the
already-fraught situation is exacerbated by the fact that Katia (Becca A. Lewis ), living up to her public persona as a blasé
Manhattan teen, has apparently waited till the very last minute -- New Year's Eve, the postmark deadline -- to compose her
application essay. As she fumes and balks, her mother, Maggie (Suzanne Ramczyk ), a former dancer and recent divorcée,
must maneuver adroitly if she wants to further the preferred outcome. Too much encouragement could backfire. Still, Maggie
can't help trying -- goonily at times, borderline masochistically, but always lovingly.
As Katia alternately blasts expletive-riddled rap and drapes herself creatively about the furniture (Lewis captures teen
postures without a hint of caricature), Maggie goes against type -- she's no happy homemaker -- and semi-ironically embarks
on baking a blueberry pie. "Skill in pastrymaking has been known worldwide as a passport to matrimony," she reads
bemusedly from "Joy of Cooking."
As the night progresses -- 90 minutes of real time, long enough for enticing aromas to waft from the fully functional stove --
Katia releases just enough of her volcanic rage to let her mother know what's actually roiling within. As an adopted child,
plucked from a Russian orphanage at age 6, Katia feels like a commodity ("I'm your loot"). She's also furious that her earliest
memories -- the topic of the writing exercise required for that infernal essay -- are lost to her. The few relics retained from
that time are useless, devoid of meaning. Maggie must lead her back and talk her through the childhood that they did share.
And within that reconciliation of realities, there's hope of moving on.
Toland's script is vivid and lively, laden with specifics -- like the noisy Rice Krispies whose crackling and popping terrified the
young immigrant -- and with laughs. Trinity Repertory Company originally commissioned the play, but what with Oskar Eustis's
departure for New York's Public Theater and an acclaimed 2005 off-Broadway production starring Dianne Wiest , didn't get
around to scheduling it until the upcoming season (it opens Nov. 30 ). You could wait -- or rush over to Chelsea, to catch this
near-perfect regional premiere.
Ramczyk doesn't go quite deep enough into the role: She plays up Maggie's chipper and bitter sides but gives little sign of
the broken spirit bound to afflict a middle-age woman blindsided by divorce. Katia has seen this wounded aspect, and
concern for Maggie's future only adds to her fury -- and her ambivalence about leaving. When not spewing, Katia is resolutely
tight-mouthed and must speak volumes with her narrowed eyes and dismissive shrugs. Lewis is brilliant and absolutely
believable. You might not enjoy having Katia at home, but onstage she's riveting.
Memory House Play by Kathleen Tolan Directed by: Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Set, Julia Noulin-Merat. Costumes, Susan
Paino. Presented by TheatreZone. At: Chelsea Theatre Works, through April 29. Tickets: $15-18. 617-887-2336, theatrezone.org
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
Coming to terms with college and teens
By Sandy MacDonald, Globe Correspondent | April 16, 2007
Anyone who has ever sent a child off to college knows that the process is no picnic. First comes the phase of active
alienation, in which the almost-adult picks fights and criticizes every aspect of your being -- all in the interest, presumably, of
individuating so as to separate. Handle this challenge well enough, and the form that success takes is loss.
In Kathleen Tolan's insightful "Memory House," enjoying an exemplary production at Chelsea's TheatreZone, the
already-fraught situation is exacerbated by the fact that Katia (Becca A. Lewis ), living up to her public persona as a blasé
Manhattan teen, has apparently waited till the very last minute -- New Year's Eve, the postmark deadline -- to compose her
application essay. As she fumes and balks, her mother, Maggie (Suzanne Ramczyk ), a former dancer and recent divorcée,
must maneuver adroitly if she wants to further the preferred outcome. Too much encouragement could backfire. Still, Maggie
can't help trying -- goonily at times, borderline masochistically, but always lovingly.
As Katia alternately blasts expletive-riddled rap and drapes herself creatively about the furniture (Lewis captures teen
postures without a hint of caricature), Maggie goes against type -- she's no happy homemaker -- and semi-ironically embarks
on baking a blueberry pie. "Skill in pastrymaking has been known worldwide as a passport to matrimony," she reads
bemusedly from "Joy of Cooking."
As the night progresses -- 90 minutes of real time, long enough for enticing aromas to waft from the fully functional stove --
Katia releases just enough of her volcanic rage to let her mother know what's actually roiling within. As an adopted child,
plucked from a Russian orphanage at age 6, Katia feels like a commodity ("I'm your loot"). She's also furious that her earliest
memories -- the topic of the writing exercise required for that infernal essay -- are lost to her. The few relics retained from
that time are useless, devoid of meaning. Maggie must lead her back and talk her through the childhood that they did share.
And within that reconciliation of realities, there's hope of moving on.
Toland's script is vivid and lively, laden with specifics -- like the noisy Rice Krispies whose crackling and popping terrified the
young immigrant -- and with laughs. Trinity Repertory Company originally commissioned the play, but what with Oskar Eustis's
departure for New York's Public Theater and an acclaimed 2005 off-Broadway production starring Dianne Wiest , didn't get
around to scheduling it until the upcoming season (it opens Nov. 30 ). You could wait -- or rush over to Chelsea, to catch this
near-perfect regional premiere.
Ramczyk doesn't go quite deep enough into the role: She plays up Maggie's chipper and bitter sides but gives little sign of
the broken spirit bound to afflict a middle-age woman blindsided by divorce. Katia has seen this wounded aspect, and
concern for Maggie's future only adds to her fury -- and her ambivalence about leaving. When not spewing, Katia is resolutely
tight-mouthed and must speak volumes with her narrowed eyes and dismissive shrugs. Lewis is brilliant and absolutely
believable. You might not enjoy having Katia at home, but onstage she's riveting.
Memory House Play by Kathleen Tolan Directed by: Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Set, Julia Noulin-Merat. Costumes, Susan
Paino. Presented by TheatreZone. At: Chelsea Theatre Works, through April 29. Tickets: $15-18. 617-887-2336, theatrezone.org
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com
Subject: Quicktake - "Memory House" by Kathleen Tolan
Date: Fri, April 20, 11:16 PM
Quicktake on MEMORY HOUSE
TheatreZone is finishing their season at Chelsea Theatre Works with a production of Kathleen Tolan's naturalistic
mother/daughter play, "Memory House." The variation on the predictable conflict is that Katia, played by Becca A. Lewis was
adopted from Russia as a child, and is having trouble writing her college essay about her memories. Add to that her mother,
Maggie, is divorced from her father, an liberal academic. Mother, an orderly midwesterner, is played by Suzanne Ramcyck,
who manages to bake a blueberry pie onstage during the show's taut 90 minutes. Director Danielle Fauteux Jacques has
concentrated on small details and everyday behavior and the relationship between mother who's coasting into middle age
and daughter in an emotional crisis is effective. Tolan's dialogue is well-constructed, allowing the cast to build complex
characters. The play doesn't aim for any great dramatic heights but resolves quite satisfactorily, even though it raises far
more questions than it answers. Julia Noulin-Merat's realistic set contributes a great deal to the believability of the show.
"Memory House wraps up next weekend. It's certainly worth the trip to Chelsea, where street parking is not difficult. And the
Theatre Works has finally gotten their elevator installed, so there's no more climb up to the third floor lodge hall that serves
as their rather elegant theatre. Watch for their shows next fall, and keep an eye out for their free outdoor production this
summer.
"Memory House" by Kathleen Tolan, Mar. 30 - Apr. 29
TheatreZone at Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St, Chelsea Sq., TheatreZone
Subject: Quicktake - "Memory House" by Kathleen Tolan
Date: Fri, April 20, 11:16 PM
Quicktake on MEMORY HOUSE
TheatreZone is finishing their season at Chelsea Theatre Works with a production of Kathleen Tolan's naturalistic
mother/daughter play, "Memory House." The variation on the predictable conflict is that Katia, played by Becca A. Lewis was
adopted from Russia as a child, and is having trouble writing her college essay about her memories. Add to that her mother,
Maggie, is divorced from her father, an liberal academic. Mother, an orderly midwesterner, is played by Suzanne Ramcyck,
who manages to bake a blueberry pie onstage during the show's taut 90 minutes. Director Danielle Fauteux Jacques has
concentrated on small details and everyday behavior and the relationship between mother who's coasting into middle age
and daughter in an emotional crisis is effective. Tolan's dialogue is well-constructed, allowing the cast to build complex
characters. The play doesn't aim for any great dramatic heights but resolves quite satisfactorily, even though it raises far
more questions than it answers. Julia Noulin-Merat's realistic set contributes a great deal to the believability of the show.
"Memory House wraps up next weekend. It's certainly worth the trip to Chelsea, where street parking is not difficult. And the
Theatre Works has finally gotten their elevator installed, so there's no more climb up to the third floor lodge hall that serves
as their rather elegant theatre. Watch for their shows next fall, and keep an eye out for their free outdoor production this
summer.
"Memory House" by Kathleen Tolan, Mar. 30 - Apr. 29
TheatreZone at Chelsea Theatre Works
189 Winnisimmet St, Chelsea Sq., TheatreZone
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| TheatreZone, Chelsea Theatre Works |
| julia noulin.mérat scenic design |
| by Kathleen Tolan Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques Costumes Susan Paino |
