DARK VIGIL: Scott Gibson, Jennifer Condreay, Lisa Kraai, Marilyn Herrs, Jessica Butler, and Cathy Washburn in Evergreen Players' production of "The Women of Lockerbie." Photo Credit: Ellen Nelson
Deborah Brevoort's haunting, gripping drama "The Women of Lockerbie" doesn't want to be a political play. It tries very hard to avoid politics. But it just can't help itself, and current events in Libya aren't helping any.
A Libyan terrorist, released in exchange for a rumored oil deal with BP, returned last year to a hero's welcome and now acknowledges operating under direct orders from Moammar "spell-it-any way-you-like" Qaddafi, after planting a bomb on Pan Am flight 103. The jetliner blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988, the darkest night of the year. Two hundred seventy men, women and children were killed.
Based on true events, "The Women of Lockerbie" blends some of the structure and technique of ancient Greek tragedy with realistic drama and storytelling to relate how the people of a small village in Scotland responded when death and destruction rained down upon them three nights before Christmas. Seven years after the terrorist attack, they are trying to bring closure to their suffering by laundering and returning the clothing and belongings of the victims to their families, but an American aviation official stands in their way by choosing to incinerate the evidence. Meanwhile, an American couple, locked in unresolved grief over the loss of their 20-year-old son, search the hills for something, anything of their son's to help them move forward.
Really, this play is about collateral damage and how the innocent must bear the burden of hateful actions and their consequences. But practically, the American government and its foreign policies bear the brunt of hostility and blame, far much more so than Libya. After all, it was the bodies of 71 Americans, still strapped in their seats that fell through the roof of one cottage, scattering severed limbs in the well-kept garden And it was wreckage from an American jetliner that killed another woman's entire family, who just happened to be minding their own business at the time.
Nevertheless, the women of Lockerbie sacrificially move past the larger conflicts, and focus on the individuals who are affected by violence. Countries may be evil and insensitive, but individuals are worthy of dignity, respect and sympathetic care. And so, seven years after their lives were changed and their village became famous, the women light candles and keep vigil at a natural wellspring during the Winter Solstice, praying for a miracle that would bring healing to countless broken hearts.
As the grief stricken couple from New Jersey, Jennifer Condreay and Scott Gibson, along with Carol Meredith as a leading elder of Lockerbie, ably walk a perilous path between portraying intense and immediate emotional truth, narrating past events in monologue, and performing a play. Priscilla Young provides some much-needed comic relief as a rebellious cleaning woman, and Ken Paul has the thankless task of portraying the callous, bullying and misogynistic representative of the American government. A chorus of four Lockerbie women contribute to the emotional movements and ritualistic aspects of the production, which was directed with sensitivity and insight by Kathleen Davis and Michele Wright.
"The Women of Lockerbie" is not relentlessly sad, but it is a lament, a dirge. And yet, as dawn breaks and dark winter loses its grip, hope is rekindled. In this respect, "The Women of Lockerbie" is a sacred drama, no longer about assigning blame, but optimistic about humanity's ability to grieve, to love, to forgive: one person, one couple, one village at a time.
Evergreen Players' production of "The Women of Lockerbie" plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., through April 10 at Center/Stage in Evergreen. Call 303-674-4934 or visit www.evergreenplayers.org.
Deborah Brevoort's haunting, gripping drama "The Women of Lockerbie" doesn't want to be a political play. It tries very hard to avoid politics. But it just can't help itself, and current events in Libya aren't helping any.
A Libyan terrorist, released in exchange for a rumored oil deal with BP, returned last year to a hero's welcome and now acknowledges operating under direct orders from Moammar "spell-it-any way-you-like" Qaddafi, after planting a bomb on Pan Am flight 103. The jetliner blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988, the darkest night of the year. Two hundred seventy men, women and children were killed.
Based on true events, "The Women of Lockerbie" blends some of the structure and technique of ancient Greek tragedy with realistic drama and storytelling to relate how the people of a small village in Scotland responded when death and destruction rained down upon them three nights before Christmas. Seven years after the terrorist attack, they are trying to bring closure to their suffering by laundering and returning the clothing and belongings of the victims to their families, but an American aviation official stands in their way by choosing to incinerate the evidence. Meanwhile, an American couple, locked in unresolved grief over the loss of their 20-year-old son, search the hills for something, anything of their son's to help them move forward.
Really, this play is about collateral damage and how the innocent must bear the burden of hateful actions and their consequences. But practically, the American government and its foreign policies bear the brunt of hostility and blame, far much more so than Libya. After all, it was the bodies of 71 Americans, still strapped in their seats that fell through the roof of one cottage, scattering severed limbs in the well-kept garden And it was wreckage from an American jetliner that killed another woman's entire family, who just happened to be minding their own business at the time.
Nevertheless, the women of Lockerbie sacrificially move past the larger conflicts, and focus on the individuals who are affected by violence. Countries may be evil and insensitive, but individuals are worthy of dignity, respect and sympathetic care. And so, seven years after their lives were changed and their village became famous, the women light candles and keep vigil at a natural wellspring during the Winter Solstice, praying for a miracle that would bring healing to countless broken hearts.
As the grief stricken couple from New Jersey, Jennifer Condreay and Scott Gibson, along with Carol Meredith as a leading elder of Lockerbie, ably walk a perilous path between portraying intense and immediate emotional truth, narrating past events in monologue, and performing a play. Priscilla Young provides some much-needed comic relief as a rebellious cleaning woman, and Ken Paul has the thankless task of portraying the callous, bullying and misogynistic representative of the American government. A chorus of four Lockerbie women contribute to the emotional movements and ritualistic aspects of the production, which was directed with sensitivity and insight by Kathleen Davis and Michele Wright.
"The Women of Lockerbie" is not relentlessly sad, but it is a lament, a dirge. And yet, as dawn breaks and dark winter loses its grip, hope is rekindled. In this respect, "The Women of Lockerbie" is a sacred drama, no longer about assigning blame, but optimistic about humanity's ability to grieve, to love, to forgive: one person, one couple, one village at a time.
Evergreen Players' production of "The Women of Lockerbie" plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., through April 10 at Center/Stage in Evergreen. Call 303-674-4934 or visit www.evergreenplayers.org.
