The Embers of Shared Past Smolder in this Study of Siblings
By Lauren Yarger
The same sense of “family” that gives comfort and belonging can morph suddenly into a base for pain and turning sisters into outcasts in playwright Cusi Cram's sibling study A Lifetime Burning playing Off-Broadway at Primary Stages.
Emma (Jennifer Westfeldt) has just published a book of memoires and her sister, Tess (Christina Kirk), is not exactly happy for her. The uptight divorcing mother of twins isn’t just a little jealous of the success awaiting her free-spirited, unreliable sister who has gone off her bipolar meds. She’s livid because Emma has fabricated a different life, including giving the family some “Inca” blood that doesn’t sit well with Tess, who knows their Irish roots all too well. The fictionalized memories are Emma’s way of giving a voice to the at-risk South American students she tutors and who can’t speak for themselves, the author argues. Journalist Tess disagrees and wants her sister to tell the truth.
A lot of drinking and bickering laced with tight, spit-fire repartee and clever turns of phrase from Cram, which keep the dialogue from becoming just a bunch of hurled insults and reminiscent of the last bad family gathering you attended, ensue, although some of the lines are delivered just a tad too quickly and lose full effect.
“I want an escape hatch from the nightmare of being related to you,” yells Tess, who has always resented the extra money Emma inherited from their father (he loved you more…) which allows her to live without a “real job” and to volunteer as a tutor. Emma tells Tess to stop being “buzzkill” referring to Tess’ bringing her down despite her attempts to remain high through constant alcohol consumption.
When Emma’s publisher, the suave and Chanel-coutured Lydia Freemantle (Isabel Keating, costumed by Theresa Squire)arrives, the conflict intensifies. Through flashbacks, nicely staged by director Pam MacKinnon, assisted by focused lighting by David Weiner, we learn about Emma’s romantic liaison with one of her young students, Alejandro (Raul Castillo), and the miscarriage that results. Alejandro is out of Emma’s life and Tess doesn’t want to go home, where her soon-to-be ex and her kids, who dislike her so much they have poisoned her dog, await. In the end, both alone, they find strength in their familial bond.
Keating stands out as the publisher who strokes, then discards Emma, all in a day’s work, looking out only for her own interests and profit. Also noteworthy, is the upscale apartment with designer furniture by Kris Stone.
A Lifetime Burning runs through Sept. 5 at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th Street, NYC. For tickets, call 212.279.4200.
Christians might also like to know:• God’s name taken in vain
• Language
• Sexually suggestive dialogue and action
• Sex outside of marriage
By Lauren Yarger
The same sense of “family” that gives comfort and belonging can morph suddenly into a base for pain and turning sisters into outcasts in playwright Cusi Cram's sibling study A Lifetime Burning playing Off-Broadway at Primary Stages.
Emma (Jennifer Westfeldt) has just published a book of memoires and her sister, Tess (Christina Kirk), is not exactly happy for her. The uptight divorcing mother of twins isn’t just a little jealous of the success awaiting her free-spirited, unreliable sister who has gone off her bipolar meds. She’s livid because Emma has fabricated a different life, including giving the family some “Inca” blood that doesn’t sit well with Tess, who knows their Irish roots all too well. The fictionalized memories are Emma’s way of giving a voice to the at-risk South American students she tutors and who can’t speak for themselves, the author argues. Journalist Tess disagrees and wants her sister to tell the truth.
A lot of drinking and bickering laced with tight, spit-fire repartee and clever turns of phrase from Cram, which keep the dialogue from becoming just a bunch of hurled insults and reminiscent of the last bad family gathering you attended, ensue, although some of the lines are delivered just a tad too quickly and lose full effect.
“I want an escape hatch from the nightmare of being related to you,” yells Tess, who has always resented the extra money Emma inherited from their father (he loved you more…) which allows her to live without a “real job” and to volunteer as a tutor. Emma tells Tess to stop being “buzzkill” referring to Tess’ bringing her down despite her attempts to remain high through constant alcohol consumption.
When Emma’s publisher, the suave and Chanel-coutured Lydia Freemantle (Isabel Keating, costumed by Theresa Squire)arrives, the conflict intensifies. Through flashbacks, nicely staged by director Pam MacKinnon, assisted by focused lighting by David Weiner, we learn about Emma’s romantic liaison with one of her young students, Alejandro (Raul Castillo), and the miscarriage that results. Alejandro is out of Emma’s life and Tess doesn’t want to go home, where her soon-to-be ex and her kids, who dislike her so much they have poisoned her dog, await. In the end, both alone, they find strength in their familial bond.
Keating stands out as the publisher who strokes, then discards Emma, all in a day’s work, looking out only for her own interests and profit. Also noteworthy, is the upscale apartment with designer furniture by Kris Stone.
A Lifetime Burning runs through Sept. 5 at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th Street, NYC. For tickets, call 212.279.4200.
Christians might also like to know:• God’s name taken in vain
• Language
• Sexually suggestive dialogue and action
• Sex outside of marriage
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