February 16, 2004
BLT's "Orphans" Spins a Tale About Two Lonely Sisters
by Doris Whalen
Special to the Hendersonville, NC, Times-News
I couldn't help thinking, as I watched Brevard Little Theatre's production of the
play "Orphans," of the classic Dickens' book "Great Expectations." This is the
story of two aging spinsters caught in a time warp of their own making. Lily
Spangler is energetically played by Anne Munch and her younger sister,
Catherine, is played by Lyn O'Hare, in her best role to date.
The play opens on a March day in 1937 in a room in the Chalfont Hotel in New
York City. There are clothes strewn about on antique chairs, sofas, desk and
tables. The two women are asleep in a single bed under fur coats draped over
them as blankets. A noise is heard and one of the women wakes and gets up, fully
clothed, to make a phone call to the desk complaining about noises in the night in
the next room.
In an unbelievable plot, the two women interact and we discover the odd
relationship that has dominated these two eccentric women's lives for 25 years.
They have not left this room in all those years while, unbeknownst to them, the
hotel and neighborhood are crumbling around them. They have been living out of
trunks and suitcases. Breakfast is delivered to them by a bellboy whom Lily
berates for not dressing as he should and she continues to complain about the
coffee and everything else. The dialogue between the two women shows us
immediately the dynamic between this twosome. Lily has been protecting her
younger sister from the outside world for all these years and Catherine, though she
balks and shows her more sunny nature in their encounters, goes along with her
sister's nagging.
Catherine hears a noise on the outside and realizes it is a plane that she is
absolutely awed by. She peers out of the window that has been her only view of
the outside world since coming to this New York City hotel with her sister in
1912 (from Pittsburgh, to meet their parents on their expected arrival on the
Titanic.) The only apparent connection to any other person has been the telephone
switchboard operator at the hotel. Catherine is hungry for some news and chatter
with another human being. Lily is determined that her sister not be upset in any
way because of her weak heart and disposition. As we find out later, Lily is the
one who is afraid of life and who has the weak heart. She has projected all her
fears and insecurities onto her younger sister. Lily is as repressed and fearful a
woman as the Victorian woman she pretends to be.
The visit by their accountant Mr. Erwin, well-played by Jim Keeley, reveals them
to be eccentric millionaires who may have an unwelcome addition to their family
looking for part of their inheritance. When the knock on the door comes soon
after, they are convinced that this is their unexpected cousin, Ronald Osborne,
played by Bret Stewart. This young man, a newcomer to BLT, could, with a little
seasoning, become an asset to this group. What ensues during his visit in the
second act makes this play finally develop and show some heart and warmth. The
sudden appearance of the "woman next door" is a delightful change of pace.
Florette Lamour, played by Tessa Martin, is everything one would expect and
more. However, it proves to be the downfall of our strident and over-emotional
Lily.
There are some messages in this play but the characters are such caricatures of
real people that it is hard to "suspend disbelief." Lily is "over the top" from the
beginning and except for a few brief moments, never lets go. We should feel
sorry for her, but we do not. She is too harsh. A little direction in that vein
would have been welcome. Catherine, on the other hand, makes the most of a
juicy role and almost makes us believe that she could be real. Mention should be
given to the set and lighting and costumes in this play. They add to the feeling of
total disconnection to the real world. Orphans has its funny moments but I would
have liked a little more warmth and less anger, especially in the first act.
Brevard Little Theatre will present Orphans at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 3
p.m. Sunday. Performances will continue at the same times through Feb. 29.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. For reservations, call 884-2587.
Whalen is a writer and theater student. She lives in Hendersonville.