TOM TITUS -- Theater Review

Letting go is one of the most difficult emotions to master --

particularly when, after the death of a loved one, there are unresolved

issues with the deceased or with other family members.

In Shelagh Stephenson’s play “The Memory of Water,” now on stage

through Sunday at Orange Coast College, there is a plethora of such

issues among the three surviving daughters of a woman whose relationship

with them depends on who’s doing the remembering. Mostly it’s the

daughters, but sometimes the late mother appears to one of them to get

her two cents in.

This blending of the real and the surreal heightens the characters’

hold on the audience, as does the fact that the three actresses deliver a

superb performance as the daughters, who are as diverse a trio as could

be imagined. When the booze flows and the fur flies, both the comic and

dramatic temperatures rise.

Stephenson’s play is set in her native England, and the requisite

British accents are quite capably handled under the sensitive direction

of John Ferzacca, never strong enough to distract but always present to

validate the play. The interaction, especially among the three sisters,

is beautifully accomplished.

The sisters strike immediate contrasts -- Teresa, the eldest and

ostensibly the most responsible (Lynn Laguna); Mary, the stressed-out

doctor (Jessica Hutchinson) who receives the occasional visits from her

mother; and Catherine, the youngest and wildest (Miracle Laurie), an

emotional time bomb crying for validation.

Hutchinson excels as the sister who bore a child, given up for

adoption as a teenager, and craves another with her married lover (Greg

McClure). She projects her inner torments skillfully, as well as the

tense confrontations with her mother’s spirit (Ann Walker), over

conflicting memories of her childhood.

The focused, organized sister enacted by Laguna is a finely layered

performance that turns into chaotic vitriol when whiskey is added to the

mixture. Laguna also delivers some splendid confrontational moments with

Kyle Kopp as her dissatisfied husband.

Laurie has the showiest role, that of the sexy young sister panicking

over a broken relationship. There is less inner turmoil here, but the

outer, surface variety is a barn burner, honed to a fever pitch as Laurie

renders a marijuana-fueled loose cannon battling in her own way for

filial recognition.

Walker eerily inhabits the ghost of the mother, her hollow tones

rendered in fine contrast with Hutchinson’s more visceral performance.

Walker’s gait and demeanor place her in cold contrast with the others,

verifying her spectral presence.

McClure and Kopp lend strong support, attempting to handle their

respective women with kid gloves during their time of grieving but, at

the same time, loath to become doormats. Both actors turn in thoughtful,

secure performances on the fringe of the central drama.

“The Memory of Water” is billed as a comedy, and indeed there are some

wildly funny moments as each sister deals with the trauma in her own,

individual style. The overall mood, however, is necessarily somber and

played for dramatic effect, balancing the humor and the heartache.

With three experienced OCC actresses at the top of their game, “The

Memory of Water” wields a double-edged sword, drawing blood on both its

comic and dramatic blades.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

WHAT: “The Memory of Water”

WHERE: Orange Coast College Drama Lab, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa

WHEN: Closing performances at 8 tonight through Saturday and 2 p.m.

Sunday

COST: $6-$7

CALL: (714) 432-5880