Be a Good Little Widow
By Bekah Brunstetter
Directed by Anthony Moseley
At Collaboration, Chicago
Interesting serio-comedy deals with the grieving process
Collaboration presents the Chicago premiere of Bekah Brunstetter’s dark serio-comedy, Be a Good Little Widow featuring a strong nuanced performance by Meghan Reardon as Melody, the 20something wife whose world collapses after a short marriage.
Set in small town Connecticut, we meet a newlywed couple – Craig (Tommy Hicks in a sincere performance) as 30something corporate lawyer and his 25 year old wife – Melody as they settle in their new home where Craig grew up. The couple met and married in Colorado but Craig took a new position back east. Melody struggles to become a homemaker and she suffers boredom and loneliness since Graig travels often. Melody is an immature, free-spirit and somewhat flaky 20something. She and Craig deeply love each other despite the difference in ages and interests. Love reigns here.
We see how Hope (Susan Fay), Craig’s mother doesn’t approve of Melody as Craig’s wife since Melody is so flaky. Yet the couple’s love prevails. When Craig is killed in a commuter plane crash both Melody and Hope struggle with their distinct brands of grief. Melody was just starting to find the rules of being a good suburban housewife when suddenly she is thrust into learning the ropes of how to be a good widow.
This 90 minute one-act blends humor, realism and pathos into a moving portrait of love, loss and temptation as we see Melody move from a flake into a strong women. She deals with the hostile demanding Hope (herself dealing with the loss of her husband and now her son) and she conquers advances form Craig’s young assistant Brad (Christian Blackburn). This work is an honest attempt to depict two women as they deal with a tragic situation. Meghan Reardon and Susan Fay gave outstanding performances steeped in reality. Be a Good Little Widow is a refreshing look into how two folks deal with loss. It is a fine production worth seeing.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2011
For more info checkout the Be A Good Little Widow page on www.theatreinchicago.com
At Collaboration, 1575 N.Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL