The last show of URI
theatre season is "Unbound" by Laura Marks. This is the Rhode
Island premiere of this show about Fanny Kemble (1809-93), a
British actress and is based on her journals. This powerful play
portrays the life of a remarkable woman of artistry, curiosity
and humanity. In the 1830's on a tour in New York City, Fanny
falls in love with the charming, wealthy gentleman Pierce Butler
and happily and willingly gives up her theatrical career to
become his wife and soon the mother of his two daughters.
Despite his resistance, she wins him over to the notion of
leaving northern society for life on his family cotton and
rice plantation in Georgia where who and what she encounters
changes her life forever. The depth of her understanding of what
it means to live off others labor creates a moral dilemma and
painful life decision which is the heart and soul of "Unbound".
Bryna Wortman directs the show with a keen insight to the
historical details of this country and casts 14 student
performers in her show.
The show is episodic in
nature. Bryna uses slides to depict the real life characters
during some of the scenes. She is aided in her task by the
gorgeous 19th century costumes by Marilyn Salvatore, especially
impressive are the pink and red Victorian gowns. Also the hard
working stage manager Megan Doran and her topnotch crew
constantly moving set pieces throughout the show. The splendid
set is by Christian Wittwer (Large Victorian curtains hang over
the set during Act 1 and are removed when Fanny goes south for
Act 2)with lighting by David Roy and sound by Michael Hyde. The
show is a thought-provoking play based on an unconventional look
at slavery. Fanny Kemble's journals weren't published until she
returned to the North to become an abolitionist. Bryna has five
actresses portraying Fanny. Jolie Lippincott plays the heroine
of the story. Their money came from the toil of over a thousand
slaves and Fanny tried to convince her husband to release the
slaves and help to rescue them from their suffering. Day after
day Fanny was confronted by their misery. Jolie creates a
memorable character that the audience easily relates to as the
young Fanny. Stephanie Rodger plays the older Fanny who looks
back on her life with no regrets after realizing she should
publish her journal. Nora Eschenheimer, Olivia Khoshatefeh and
Jennifer Michaels are the ensemble Fanny's. They are similar to
a Greek chorus at times reciting the lines as this one
character. They all do a wonderful job portraying this real life
woman who must come unbound at great cost to her personally and
her family.
Benjamin Grills is Pierce, her husband who is handsome and
debonair but doesn't understand that slavery is wrong. He
finally explodes at Fanny saying "All niggers are liars" when
she confronts him for the final time. Slave overseer, Oden is
well played by Cory Crew. The relationship between Fanny
and Albert Coelho's character of Aleck, the slave is
heartwarming while there are comic moments especially in the
Romeo and Juliet sequence with Johnny Sederquist as a foppish
Romeo who constantly moves to find his light during his death
scene and with Michael Puppi and Margaret Kane as Fanny's
parents who thrust her into theater at an early age because she
is pretty. Jesse Dufault plays John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Rose,
a minister and Jocilyn Hardguittini as Harriet, the slave that
Fanny tries to help. So for a look back at the horrors of
slavery by a woman who witnessed it first hand, be sure to catch
"Unbound" at URI.
UNBOUND
(22 April to 2 May, 2010)
Studio
J, URI Upper College Road, Kingston, RI
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