MEMORIES OF CHERISHED TIMES
As we age and our memories fade away, certain items from our lifetime can trigger both happy and unpleasant memories, making us feel in the moment without worrying about what we may have already forgotten. Thus, your life can become a joyous celebration of happy times filled with love and great memories, perhaps setting unpleasantness aside.
Certainly, we can all remember our first great love, keeping letters or cherished gifts long after the relationship ends. Such is the basis for the world premiere of DIVA The Play, written and exquisitely performed by glorious mezzo soprano Vivienne Powell, in which she shares the imaginary story of world-renowned Australian opera singer Louisa McCrae.
Ready to offer her glorious musical and physical prowess, Powell enters the stage barefoot, dressed in a nightgown and carrying a small suitcase. Once she opens it, we are treated to Louisa’s great life stories, recalled as she removes each of the saved cherished items. And as she unpacks her suitcase full of memories, Powell transports us back to powerful moments that shaped Louisa’s extraordinary life.
First out of the case is a small ceramic bust of Beethoven, the composer who opened Louisa’s mind to the wonders of classical music as a child. Next is her mother’s jewelry box with pearls inside that she gave to Louisa for her first recital. They make her remember her beloved music professor who complemented her warm mezzo soprano range, comparing her favorably to other less effective “squeaky shrill sopranos.” When he encourages Louisa to apply for a scholarship to a prestigious music conservatory in London, 20-year-old Louisa marries the young man she loves after he agrees to follow her to London. After their blissful honeymoon, his distrusting nature ends their marriage once Louisa is offered her first professional gig in Paris.
As Louisa learns to love her emancipation in Paris, Powell portrays other characters by transforming her physicality and accent. Performed in French with a wonderful dialect, her very French and free-spirited “Francine” is a highlight. Powell’s arias are also splendid: A form-fitting sexy red dress (costumes by Kate Bergh) is what she wore playing Carmen at the Paris Opera House (“Habanera”); The Barber of Seville was her much-praised first performance in the city of lights (“Una voce poco fa”); twigs from lavender bushes recall love as she harmonizes with Etta James (“At Last”); and her young son Julien (voiced by Leon Josling) inspires Cole Porter’s “True Love”, for which Powell enacts the most glorious expression of love from the depths.
Directed by Leah Patterson, we are transported through an amazing life and the yellow-tinged memories of old age. It’s such a lovely evening.
photos by Rupert Thorpe
DIVA The Play
United Stages
Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave.
Fri and Sat at 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on November 10, 2024
for tickets ($25), visit OnStage411 or Ticket Tailor
for more info, visit Diva