Review: Woven Threads at the Prince.
Nearly a year ago, someone asked me why I'm so cruel in my reviews. I gave what I thought was a fair answer; I have high standards that are difficult to be met and, due to many reasons, I've been disillusioned with the arts scene for a while.
That's not to say I don't enjoy it; on the contrary, because of various stresses 'in real life' as they say, my job has become my sanctuary, and I love nothing better than attending the latest musical, or art exhibition, or dance performance, and then sharing my views.
However, what's been lacking for me, in every piece of art I've seen, is that all important depth of emotion and feeling that grabs you, pulls you under and makes you want to totally immerse yourself in the world created before you. That's not to say that shows I've reviewed haven't done that for others; art is subjective and that's the beautiful thing about it but for me, a grumpy writer nearing middle age, it's been hard for me to let go entirely and open my heart to the story being told in front of me.
It used to happen; art was my escape and I'd sit immersed in a painting, or listening to music, for hours. I'd watch a play and when the lights came up, I'd need to take a moment to figure out where I was, or even who I was. But life brings with it many trials and tribulations and as those mounted for me in real life, it became harder and harder to block real life out and the escape I used to find in art became entirely elusive to me.
Last night, it returned. Watching Woven Threads at the Prince, I suddenly found myself totally hooked on the events of the play, and completely captivated from beginning to end. The premise is simple, yet effective; three siblings are all cared for separately after losing their parents in a car crash. The youngest child, a girl, is taken in by a rich, childless couple. The middle son goes to a farmer who uses him for cruel, hard labor, and the eldest daughter lives in orphanages for many years before finally being adopted by an abusive woman. All three feel something is missing from their lives, and all three cross paths at various points, without knowing their relationship to one another. By the time that is stumbled upon by Jacob, the son, they are all adults with very different outlooks on life and the show then becomes about the three reconnecting and getting to know one another before tragedy strikes again.
Under the expert direction of Sally Jones and Roger White, the three part cast, Meredith Ramos, Anna De Luca and Kurt Hummel, all shine. It's almost maddening to watch three characters so desperately in need of the love, support and reassurance that a sibling could bring, miss countless opportunities to know one another. When that moment finally happens, and your heart begins to soar for them, it is cruelly snatched away and we as an audience are left almost as bereft as the characters on stage.
Jones and White are collaborative directors and it shows; the love the cast have for this play is evident, their chemistry entirely natural and the emotion they pour into every song and every line of dialogue is real, intense, and profound.
Before you all cry foul play, yes, I am engaged to Mr. Hummel, and yes, I've come to think of Miss Ramos and Miss De Luca as some weird family of mine, but I don't believe that renders my review biased. On the contrary, I believe it was perhaps harder for me to immerse myself in this story because I know all three so well. It's hard to think of your fiance as a character who goes from fourteen to thirty over the course of two hours, who lives on a farm in the midwest and longs to marry the girl next door, when you know him as the guy who bakes cookies at ridiculous hours of the day, forgets to charge his phone and who is decidedly not attracted to girls.
But all three pull this transformation off completely and what is more, the whole show is so compelling from beginning to end, that it not only captures my imagination throughout, but it stays with me long after, too. I know and recognize moments from Mr. Hummel's childhood played out on that stage. I can pinpoint the emotions he's drawn on surrounding the sad loss of his brother, and the love he feels for the women he shares the stage with. I also see his love for me.
Last night, I watched Woven Threads with my brother sitting next to me. This might not seem remarkable to some, but after virtually no contact for twenty five years, we are slowly but surely rebuilding some kind of relationship. It might not ever be as close as we once were, but as Woven Threads reminded me, family is important, and I find myself determined not to let past grievances hold me back. It is largely thanks to my fiance that both my brother and I have realized that though we might be incredibly different, and hold wildly differing views to one another, we are blood, united by an unbreakable bond; the threads of our lives are woven together.
I predict this show will run and run, and I also predict bright futures for its stars. Perhaps the brightest future belongs to me, though, since next year will see Mr Hummel and I uniting as husbands. I hope, if you are able, you will grab tickets to Woven Threads while you can and, like me, welcome the reminder that love really is what makes the world go around.
Blaine Anderson.