The Arts, Etc.


    Part of Playhouse on Park's
    Professional Guest Artist Series


    Collected Stories

    by Donald Margulies

    Directed by Stevie Zimmerman

    2009
    Wednesday, November 11th, Preview: 7:30pm
    Thursday, November 12th, Opening Night: 7:30pm
    Friday & Saturday, November 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st: 8:00pm
    Sunday, November 15th & 22nd: 2:00pm
    Wednesday & Thursday November 18th, 19th: 7:30pm
    Reviewed by Thayer

    To parent is to teach but to teach is not necessarily to parent. If that's not a famous quote, it should be. Collected Stories is for anyone who has ever looked up to a superior and also for any superior who has ever responded in a mentoring way to a spark of resemblance to him/herself. In this well-written play by Donald Margulies, the relationship is between a writer and student, but the dynamics might have been the same had they been between a woodworker and his helper or a CEO and his protege -- any combination in which an accomplished person wants to give and a lay person has a desire to receive.

    Set in New York City in the Village, the play begins as Ruth (Willi Burke), a distinguished short story writer and professor tutors Lisa (Pearl Rhein), a writing student and confirmed Ruth-worshiper. In therapy to deal with father issues and poor self-worth, Lisa is desperate for even the smallest compliment from her esteemed professor. Lisa convinces Ruth to hire her as her new assistant, whereupon she tries too hard, quickly oversteps her boundaries, and rearranges too much of Ruth's "life" (her most important papers).

    Over a six-year span, Lisa develops, under Ruth's guidance, into a published writer. She and Ruth grow closer, and Ruth moves from arm's length as teacher into more of a parenting/applauding role. So far down does Ruth drop her guard, she even begins sharing her own very personal stories, which Lisa encourages her to write, but Ruth staunchly denies she ever will.

    While Ruth is proud of Lisa's accomplishments, she is envious, too; she sees how much life Lisa has ahead of her and comparatively, how time is running out for her own successes. As Lisa's life becomes fuller, she has less time for Ruth, but still expects Ruth to be there on call cheering for her -- even when she again oversteps her boundaries and publishes Ruth's sensitive "love-of-my-life" story as her own work. As it turns out, it is not enough for Ruth to live vicariously through Lisa as a parent might want to live through a self-similar child: she was in the process of writing that same story -- her story -- as her last important work. In a dramatic change of emotional pace during the final explosive scene, Ruth discovers painfully that Lisa heard every word she said (taught), but didn't hear what she meant.

    The Collected Stories set is tasteful, appropriate to the story, and unobtrusive. The lighting gets high marks for both timing and effectiveness. Playhouse on Park is a comfortable, intimate theater and the staff is both friendly and accommodating. It won't be long before this new theater is well known and broadly recognized for living up to its slogan, "your new destination for the performing arts."

    Collected Stories features Willi Burke as Ruth (left) and Pearl Rhein as Lisa (right).

    Willi Burke made her Broadway debut as Thea in Bock and Harnick's "Fiorello", directed by George Abbott. In "On the Twentieth Century" she created the roles of Imelda and Dr. Johnson, directed by Harold Prince, who also directed her in "A Doll's Life" with George Hearn. She sang with Robert Weede in "Cry For Us All", and Nagle Jackson directed her in "The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall" with Celeste Holm. In L.A., directed by Gower Champion, she appeared opposite Robert Goulet in "The Happy Time" and was Roxanne to Jose Ferrar's Cyrano in Forrest and Wright's "A Song for Cyrano". Regional credits include Anna in "The King and I", Maria in "The Sound of Music", Agnes in "I Do, I Do", Eliza in "My Fair Lady". Television audiences have seen her as Fran Gordon in "One Life to Live", Ruth Martin on "All My Children" and Judge Baker on "Another World". Movie audiences recently saw her in "Choke" with Sam Rockwell and Angelica Houston.

    Pearl Rhein is a recent graduate of The University of California, San Diego's Graduate Program in Acting. Regional credits include: Memphis and Assume The Position (La Jolla Playhouse). UCSD credits include: "The Misanthrope", "Pericles", "Twelfth Night", "R&G Are Dead". Pearl originated the roles of Suzanne in "The Further Adventures of Suzanne and Monica" and Justice Mayflower in "Freedom, New York" as part of UCSD's Baldwin New Play Festival. She then originated the role of Marlena Fuchtsoften in the complete travesty Vaudeveaux Nouville, also at UCSD. Pearl is a professional composer/arranger & musician (piano, violin, organ & accordion), and performs as a singer-songwriter.

    www.playhouseonpark.org
    Playhouse on Park Box Office: (860) 523-5900 Ext. 10
    244 Park Road, West Hartford, CT 06119



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