By Sophia Rutti
NextStop Theatre is putting on a production that is nothing if not unique. “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” is a regional premiere in Northern Virginia that won’t soon be forgotten.
The production runs from Feb. 12 through March 1, and tickets are $28. Director Lorraine Magee took the time to give us a little insight into her upcoming production.
The original “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” is a novel written by Ilene Beckerman telling the stories of her life through various articles of clothing. After it was published, Beckerman’s book caught the attention of notable playwrights and sisters Nora and Delia Ephron, who adapted the novel into an off-Broadway production. The play was met with success and critical acclaim despite being performed in a minimalist fashion; the cast of five actresses would sit on stools and read directly from scripts to bring the many stories to life.
NextStop’s production, however, is taking “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” to the next level. Magee made the choice with the advice of Evan Hoffman, the production designer, to perform the production in full and in the round.
“I’ve added an extra cast member, there will be an actual set, and the actresses will morph into these characters based on what they bring to the table,” Magee says. “There will be no costume changes; it is just them showing all the skills they have to bring to the performance.”
The show’s subject matter is already personal by nature, but Magee says that the in the round format will add to the intimacy because how close the audience will be to the actors.
But how can a story be told through different articles of women’s clothing?
“When you combine all of the stories, it is the story of the life of an American woman,” Magee explains. “The production shows everything from the outfit someone’s mom made for them to go to ballet class as a child, to prom dresses and prom dates, to the outfit you bought for your first job interview, to your bridal dress, or even to the dress a woman wore when she told her husband she couldn’t be married to him anymore.”
The play will be told mostly in vignettes and monologues, and despite each story standing on its own, they are all connected by the idea of what it means to be a woman in America.
The production’s uniqueness is what attracted Magee in the first place, “The chance to do a production that has an all-female cast, that was written by women and shows a woman’s perspective is a real treat. One of my real goals was to show the talent women bring to the table in the Washington area.”
But don’t be fooled by the all-female cast—this isn’t just for women. Magee says, “It’ll be a great girls night out, but it isn’t for ladies only.” The production may focus around the lives of six women, but it will touch everyone who sees it.
For more information on the production, to learn about the cast, or for directions, click here.
NextStop Theatre
Feb.12- March 1
Tickets $28
269 Sunset Park Drive
Herndon, 20172