Last evening, along with fellow Bordenite Bob Gutowski, I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Nance O’Neil at the Access Theatre in NYC. Written by David Foley and Directed by Gary Shrader, this play centers around the relationship between stage actress and tragedienne Nance O’Neil and Lizzie Borden. This four-person play includes Emma Borden and McKee Rankin, O’Neil’s long-time manager and Svengali.
I had no expectations about what I was about to see. And I didn’t go to the show to try to spot any historical anachronisms or false facts. I went to be entertained, and entertained I was!
This time in Lizzie Borden’s life, Lizbeth Borden’s life I should say, is ripe for the emotional picking. It is during this time, around 1904, that Nance O’Neil came into Lizbeth’s life and the breakup ensued with Emma. We do not know the exact details of either important emotional moment in Lizbeth’s life, but what we see in this production are stark human possibilities. It is conceivable that it worked out in real life the way it did here. And the play brings us to the break-up between the sisters with respect and a truthful emotional hand.
Each character in this play is complexly drawn. No one is as they really seem. And the denouement is supremely satisfying. Just when you think a scene is about one thing, or something that is shared is what the play is really about, you discover in the next that you have been taken for a ride. The amount of emotional manipulation in this play is stunning in its force, and brings to mind the power of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Like Woolf, there is the secret. Did she do it? Will we find out? And what can we know about this woman Lizbeth by that revelation? And just when you think that you have the answer, you see that it might not be as you were led to believe.
And that is what is supremely satisfying about this play. It is an adult drama, with everyone picnicking on each other. They each have real needs and desires. And how they each go about getting those primal imperatives makes for a great night at the theatre.
The ensemble acting was stunning and the intimate black box space for the production was a perfect fit. When Lizbeth has a scene where she tells Nance what really happened that morning in August of 1892, it is as if the camera has moved in for a close up and we are mesmerized.
This play is very well written. I hope it gets published soon, as I see it becoming as popular, if not more so, than Sharon Pollock’s play Blood Relations.
There were many truths expressed in this one play and Bob and I, both experienced and educated theatre professionals, had our own reactions—we literally each went “oh” when a particularly profound thing was said that transcended the play and jolted us with its insight.
And that, besides the great acting, is what makes this play about Lizbeth Borden and Nance O’Neil and Emma Borden so transcendent. It is about these people, but it is also about us. We sit in this theatre and absorb the story, all the while being whacked in the gut with emotional honesty.
The play has a limited run and closes on October 9th. Tickets are only $25, but there are websites where you can grab one for $20.
I recommend you go see this play. You will not be disappointed and you will be amazed.
