Freshwater

by Mariana Quinn-Makwaia

As I stepped into the Julia Miles Theater, I was greeted by the sound of cicadas. A colorful quilt was hung across the stage as a makeshift curtain and the lighting was designed in such a way that I could almost feel a warm summer breeze - a nice change from the harshness of the weather outside.

Freshwater by Virginia Woolf is about a model, Ellen, and the eccentric artists that she lives with—a photographer, a philosopher, a poet and a painter (her husband). Ellen feels suffocated and yearns for a simpler life, and when she receive a love note from a young sailor, she decides to take her chances.

The comedy was endless. Characters broke from their Victorian accents to drop a side note to the audience in an American drawl, causing a wave of laughter as the actor jumped back into a dramatic rant.

Most of Freshwater was movement and monologues; the dialogue was mostly between the two romantic leads when they met halfway into the play. The physical comedy was fantastic. It was as if the director, Anne Bogart, told each actor to try to upstage anyone speaking. For example, while one actor spoke, another was at the top of a ladder with a wizard's hat on.

Freshwater is a short and delightful play. Every problem is solved with silliness and a constant pulse of wit and intelligence.

$20 Rush Tickets – visit www.womensproject.org for more information.