Once upon a time, I believed that theater could change people’s lives. At the very least, it might engage us in a fascinating discourse in which we could examine the way we live, question our preconceptions, and come out on the other side more engaged in our world and our relationships. Well, opening night of The Killing of Sister George reminded me of that belief, and left me with much to examine.
It was the first time I’ve seen a Max & Louie show, and I was impressed from the start with its first-rate production values. Dunsai Dai’s impeccably wrought scenic design gives us a telling glimpse of George’s life with her companion, ‘Childie.’ Cyndi Lohrmann’s fun and sometimes hilarious costumes preview nuances of character that come only later. In all, the creation of this show was top drawer.
Sister George is a play about identity, love and loss and the freakish way we damage the people we love most. Frank Marcus’ 1965 play was made into a movie in 1968, and received an unusual X rating by the day’s standards. In viewing the play in 2015, it feels that the rating came less from the lesbian relationship between George and Childie and more from the idea that George identifies as a man, and from the dominant/submissive relationship between the two.
One of our favorite actors, Lavonne Byers, plays June Buckridge, herself an actor who portrays Sister George on a beloved British radio show. Byers’ George wears the trappings of womanhood but walks, talks, drinks and smokes like a man, the man she believes herself to be. It is a most difficult characterization, her hard shell and demeanor encircling a spun-glass center. Byers’ ability to traverse that space between audacity and fragility and her willingness to delve into the darkest parts of the human heart, as well as her perfect diction and seemingly effortless physicalities, are why she is the consummate performer, why other actors look to her for vision, and why I am captivated every time I see her work.
She is in great company. Her onstage companions, Erin Kelley’s Mercy Croft and Shannon Nara’s Childie, are great foils for George. Kelley shines in her recital of Sister George’s ‘demise’ and has a lovely scene with Nara. Nara, in turn, has a delightful scene with Byers where they personify the devoted and loving relationship they both imagine. Director Brooke Edwards adroitly leads this exceptional group of women into the abyss of human frailty so that we may examine our own lives, maybe not with the same excellent pacing, but in our own time, in our own way.
[on the marquee]
Stages St. Louis
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Pictured: Shannon Nara as Childie and Lavonne Byers as Sister George
Photo: ProPhotoSTL.com