The Death of Evie Avery

Description
**** [FOUR STARS] A riff on The Awakening, Kate Chopin's somber 1899 novel, doesn't necessarily promise a laugh-out-loud evening. Playwright Sara Jeanne Asselin remains faithful to the spirit of the work—and sometimes the letter, too, lifting several lines directly from the original text—exploring societal constraints on women in general and artistic temperaments in particular. But she also stretches key elements to absurdly hilarious extremes. Stuffed animals and toys dangling from wooden yokes passed heavily from neck to neck represent—wait for it—children. Running an hour and 40 minutes (with no intermission), the play occasionally drags, though comedic rescue arrives in several personae. Ada (Johanna Weller-Fahy), the dramatic version of the novel's beatific supermom, is a swaggering, kvetching fertility goddess of a Momzilla. Two lusty so-called Ancient Greek Lesbians (Lauri Berritta and Tovah Rose) portray Evie's deepest desires, begging for treats and fawning over her suitors. And through it all, Amelia Randolph Campbell's Evie remains a charming, elegant and heartbreaking presence.—Carolyn Juris, senior editor, TONY Kids