At least once in your lifetime, you should attend a Tupperware party. It is an anachronism from the '50s. Usually a group of women (although I've seen men at some parties) marvel at the latest in the, then, best plastic storage devices. It was a social gathering as well as an event to purchase whatever was the newest container.
OnStage Playhouse is paying homage to these women in Doug Stone's Sealed for Freshness. It has been said of the playwright that he both loved and studied women. If this is love, I'd hate to see his definition of hate.
Set in 1968, a turbulent period of a cultural revolution that included women's lib, these women start as plastic as the parties' products. Bonnie Kapica (Teri Brown), the Tupperware Party Hostess, has just had a terribly revealing misspeak from her husband, Richard (James P. Tarbert). His comment has to do with her physical changes in the 20 years of their marriage. The Twit!
Enter Jean Pawlicki (Angie Doren). It could be said that she married well, dresses stylishly, and appears quite happy. She is childless, whether out of choice or not, we do not know in the first act. She has brought her sister, Sinclair Benevente (Holly Stephenson). Sinclair, on the other hand, is weeks away from delivering her fifth offspring. While Jean is svelte, Sinclair shows the effects of being a baby
producer, is foul of mouth and mind as well.
Tracy Ann McClain (Robin Boyington) is recently married. Her youthful figure is the envy of some of the others. She is extremely attractive until she opens her mouth. Could she really be that unenlightened? I think so! Her command of the English language is limited to monosyllabic words.
The Tupperware representative is Diane Whettlaufer (Kat Fitzpatrick). She seems to be the ideal salesperson, although occasionally missing a point or two. All goes well, civility is practiced, and the ladies are ladies. But then the hostess with the mostest, decides to serve a bit of booze
Director Sandra Lynn Kraus has taken an amazing group of actresses to inhabit this flawed, but strangely interesting, tale. The sole actor bookends the play, offering a last bit of sanity in the deteriorating drama. The acting and direction almost save this overwritten piece.
Each character, initially appearing bright and cheery, has her dark side. It becomes abundantly clear that Sealed for Freshness has little to do with Tupperware and much to do with the dysfunctionality of the participants and their marriages. It is here that playwright Stone belabors the theme. It is here, for the most part, that second-act drama destroys memories of first-act comedy. The end result is that he wrote 20 minutes of excess dialogue.
As I write this, I remember Rosemary King's accurate depiction of 50/60s interior design and colors in her set. Gaile Kraus and Sheila Mura's set décor add to the reality. Director Kraus' wardrobe mirrors the times.
