The cast of LALT’s ‘Love, Loss and What I Wore’, which continues through Nov. 16, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10. Photo by Thomas Graves
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Watching Los Alamos Little Theatre’s most recent production felt as intimate and cozy as having a girls’ night out.
In a way, it was a girls’ night out. The entire cast is women, sitting on stools and swapping stories about their families, triumphs, tragedies, relationships and clothes. That is the entire synopsis for “Love, Loss and What I Wore”.
In writing, it looks simple but do not be deceived by appearances; these women’s stories, and their wardrobes, contain a whole range of complexities.
Since fashion is such a key player in this play, let’s talk about the clothes. The storytellers are all dressed in formal black attire, making them look sophisticated and sleek as if they spend their free time sipping martinis while listening to live jazz music. While a cast member narrates a story that centers on a particular article of clothing, a model comes out to showcase that piece of fashion. Hats off to costumer Karen McMullen and assistant costumer Morgan DeWitt; each piece of clothing worn by the models (Evie Buck-Groffman, Cami Charonko and Spring Smith) – whether it was thigh-high boots or a hot pink satin embroidered dress – perfectly fit the description of the clothing in the story.
The stories themselves are just as attention-grabbing as the costumes. The only continuous story in the play comes from Gingy (Pat Beck) as she recounts different moments throughout her life (childhood, adolescence, early and late adulthood). Beck is awesome; I loved her New York-tinged accent and her dry humor as she talks about falling in and out of love. There is also a real sweetness to her final story when she recalls watching her granddaughter play dress-up in all her old clothes and she wonders if the young child will remember doing that and will she remember her grandmother.
There are a lot of stories about sweet, tender moments. I double dare anyone to listen to “Brides”, told by Stacy Buck and Emily Stark, with dry eyes, or Buck perform “Geralyn’s Story”.
Other stories are just laugh-out loud funny. “I Hate My Purse,” told by Kelsey Denissen is a riot.
To be clear, just because these stories focus on women and women’s fashion does not mean that boys are not allowed in the theater. Anyone can relate to the experiences expressed by the cast. Afterall, who doesn’t have awkward, anxiety-riddled experiences in dressing rooms or own clothing like a sweater that just makes you feel so freaking cool?
Personally, for me, there were even a few incidents in the play that gave eye-opening realizations. One came when Beck comically sketches two rectangles, a circle and some loopy arms and diagonal legs to produce a rendering of fashions by Elieen Fisher, which she regularly teases throughout the show as the designer of shapeless, baggy clothes for middle-aged women.
I guffawed at this but then it hit me – I own Eileen Fisher clothes. My mother generously bought me them. In fact, I was wearing one of her shirts the very evening I watched the play. Oh dear….
“Love, Loss and What I Wore” continues through Nov. 16, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and one matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10. Tickets can be purchased at the door or click here to buy tickets on Zeffy.
