By the numbers: 4...27...24...38. Four Actresses. 27 roles. 24 perfect pearls. 38 years.
This is Michelle Lowe's String of Pearls, currently on the boards at North Coast Repertory Theater, under the direction of Karen Carpenter. There is just a slight touch of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde as the pearls make their way through 38 years, beginning and ending at the same point.
The pearls have some serious ordeals: the strand breaks, they get lost and found, they get buried, they have, effectively, a life of their own. They also affect people differently. They are seen as valueless and priceless, as beautiful and cheap, as important and insignificant.
The play is about their relationship to their owners and those that look upon them. Lowe's script requires close attention for the thread, at times, becomes very, very thin. Add to this that there are four actresses, playing the 27 roles, who have many costume changes as well as character changes.
The story moves from the present to 1969, from Southern California to the New York City area. It also touches Milwaukee, Boston, Nyack and Poughkeepsie. These wonderful actresses play characters from three to 74.
Kwana Martinez moves deftly from a present-day 74 to her earlier self at 39. Her age shifts are so complete that we can sense the age transformation even before a line of dialogue or a change of costume.
Christy Yael does a 43-year age shift from Kyle to three-year-old Zoe. It is their characterizations, as well those of Jennifer Seifert and Crystal Sershen, that are so amazing. A mere switch of costume, and all else changes, from inflection to mannerisms. Truly an amazing, must-see performance by the cast.
Marty Burnett's set is a lovely, tucked blue satin-lined box with two white pearls as risers and table. A setting perfect for the play and the pearls that play in it. Chris Luessman's soundtrack enhances the production. Michael Paolini's lighting design works well.
Michelle Hunt's costumes define the many characters precisely. The costumes no doubt aid the actresses as they moved flawlessly from character to character. One can only imagine the logistics backstage for the innumerable changes.
