"What fresh hell is this," projects Elizabeth Morrell, the playwright and performer in the Threshold Theatre's Laughter and Hope and a Sock in the Eye: An Evening with Dorothy Parker, a one-woman show documenting the ups and downs of the poet's life and career.
No sooner had she uttered the words than I realized I had been asking myself the same question since arriving at the Threshold Theater. The entrance was nearly impossible to find, tucked away in the back of a piano factory at the bottom of a short stairway. The passageway to the theater itself was claustrophobic, as was the actual theater, a small stage surrounded by no more than 30 metal folding chairs.
Judging by my initial observations, things were not looking good. To say that I was skeptical about the upcoming performance would be an understatement. But then Morrell stepped onto the sparsely decorated stage, bringing with her the sardonic, scathing persona of Dorothy Parker.
Most well known for her participation in the Algonquin Round Table of the 1920s, Parker wrote three volumes of poetry, two collections of short stories, three plays, more than two dozen screenplays, and innumerable book and play reviews. Through a blend of reflections on the past and a series of poetry readings, the voice in Parker's poems expressing her bitter and sarcastic outlook on life is realized in this short, but dense, production. Set in 1964 at the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City, Morrell shares Parker's heartbreaks and triumphs with the audience, flawlessly capturing that causticity which was the essence of the poet's personality. Whether she is casually smoking a cigarette or sipping from a glass of whiskey, sitting comfortably yet guardedly in the easy chair or walking at a slow, methodical pace, Morrell conveys to the audience a feeling of deliberate, measured honesty throughout the hour-long show. The simple bareness of the theater that had at first led to a great deal of concern, now fostered a comfortable and immediate rapport with Morrell, creating a sense of intimacy and contributing to the show's realism. As she relives her difficult childhood, recounts such personal triumphs as writing for renowned publications Vogue and Vanity Fair, and relates her various romantic encounters, the audience becomes increasingly drawn into Parker's world of excess.
Laughter and Hope and a Sock in the Eye: An Evening with Dorothy Parker is elegantly written without being overdone. Morrell deftly combines retrospective narrative with the poetry of Parker written and published between 1926 and 1964, as well as her award-winning short story Big Blonde and two essays. Each of the 17 poetic interludes coincides with a stage of Parker's life. As she tells the story of an ill-fated love affair, Morrell reads "Unfortunate Coincidence," a poem first published in Life magazine on April 8, 1926 about having to endure an abortion. The tone of the play oscillates gracefully between humorous and heart-wrenching, taking the audience from Parker's childhood to the end of her career.
The Threshold Theatre is a not-for-profit company "dedicated to the discovery and development of women artists of the past, present and future." Considering the organization's limited budget, Laughter and Hope and a Sock in the Eye: An Evening with Dorothy Parker is still a well-done production. Stage managers Kim Hoff and Kara Pascucci and lighting designer Greg Jutkiewicz skillfully and successfully maximize their limited resources and space to put on a show that, while on a smaller scale than other productions making their way through Boston this season, is equally impressive.
A far cry from shows like Stomp and Cats, Morrell's Laughter and Hope and a Sock in the Eye: An Evening with Dorothy Parker is a welcome break from the Broadway National Tour shows that appear to be dominating Boston's theater scene lately. It is engaging and unique and certainly doesn't deserve to be judged by its less-than-stellar first impression. If you can find the entrance, you've won half the battle. All that's left to do is enjoy the show...which you will
Laughter and Hope and a Sock in the Eye: An Evening with Dorothy Parker runs weekends through Feb. 23rd at the Threshold Theatre, 791 Tremont St. Call 617-484-7756 for more information or visit www.thresholdtheatre.org.
