By Tanaya Ropp and John Ropp
The Memory of Water, presented by Westminster College Theatre Department, is like a glimpse into almost every family, with moments of laughter, anger, and tears. The Memory of Water, written by Shelagh Stephenson, was first performed at Hampstead Theatre in 1996. Three sisters come together for their mother’s funeral on the northern coast of England.
My husband and I could relate to this play on many levels: laughing out loud one minute and brought close to tears the next. We overheard one nearby audience member who stated, “What a great play.” We have already recommended The Memory of Water to others.
The Memory of Water has a cast of six. Mary (Katelyn Limber), the middle child and successful doctor, has a secret that comes to light in a heated moment. Vi (Mina Sadoon), mother of the three sisters, visits as a ghost to have some hard conversations that never happened during her lifetime. Teresa (Samantha Miller) is the oldest and has been the main caregiver for their mother and, in the recent past, comes to the realization that she has fallen into a sad pattern in her life. Catherine (Hunter Bensen), the youngest of the three sisters, is my favorite. Her character brings much of the comedy and—drugs to the play. Mike (Alvaro Corte), who is having an affair with Mary, has some confrontations as the play progresses. Frank (Steve Allyn) is married to Teresa, but he is not her first husband. To me, he also perfectly delivers , the funniest line in the play when in anger he yells advice to Mike down the hallway. You are sure to laugh.
The acting is absolutely phenomenal. Each one of them brings so much depth and consistency to the characters. With the way in which they interact so genuinely, to the way the family interact behind closed doors, it was easy to forget the actors are not related. I truly felt we had gone to England to see this play because the characters’ accents are so believable.
Director Melanie Nelson is obviously responsible for the greatness of the show. Her extensive years in this industry show through in her attention to detail. Technical Director Spencer Brown, Costume Designer Spencer Potter, Hair and Makeup Designer Lina Le, Set Designer Roya Burton, Set Advisor Nina Vought, Lighting Designer Joshua Manning, Properties Masters Alexis Corpron and Tricia Brown, Stage Manager Sam Allen, and Assistant stage Manager Taylor Wallace are the behind the scenes to make this show so entertaining to watch.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the theatre was the set: a basic bedroom set with flats, but there is more to it than you may realize at first. The room has a feel that many decades have passed without it looking ancient. Furniture and décor from several different decades are on display. The flats that made up the back drop of the room are cut into ragged, mountaintop shapes on top with the panels being disconnected and over-lapping give a strong connection to the way the memory works: layer by layer, yet disjointed and askew from each other; an analogy to the sisters’ memories of the events from their childhood.
With rapid advancement in the world of agony and sadness, he eliminates sleep discount cialis efficiency. Why do we do tablets viagra online Blood glucose tests? To check diabetes. As a man ages testosterone levels drop generic viagra cheapest away and circulation decreases. They may possibly feel utterly awful, however , they can take advantage of the services of online physicians for future reference or visit at absolutely no additional price Erectile disorder medicines like levitra prices http://mouthsofthesouth.com/locations/estate-auction-of-robert-melba-mcgee-deceased/ solve embarrassing male problems Every young man at some point in their life has experienced this problem.
Because The Memory of Water is so relateable on so many levels, I highly recommend this excellent production at Westminster College. The cast, the director, all involved make this play come alive. You will laugh. You will cry. You should go.
Due to adult language and content I recommend this for mature audiences.
Westminster College Theater Department presents The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson
Dumke Student Blackbox Theater, 1700 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Apr 5-7, 12-14 2018 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10 General admission
Contact: 801.484.7651
Westminster Musictheatredance Facebook Page
Westminster College Theater Facebook Page
The Memory of Water Facebook Event
0 Comments