According to Lincoln Center's new LCT3 project at its slogan, it takes "New Audiences for New Artists." It also takes new critics, hence the establishment of Theater Talk's New Theater Corps in 2005, a way for up-and-coming theater writers and eager new theatergoers to get exposure to the ever-growing theater scene in New York City. Writers for the New Theater Corps are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the off-off and off-Broadway theater scene, learning and giving back high-quality reviews at the same time. Driven by a passion and love of the arts, the New Theater Corps aims to identify, support, and grow the arts community, one show and one person at a time.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Sister by Maria Perez-Martinez

When it comes to the word “sister” in Mario Fratti’s play by the same name, there are many meanings that can be derived from the show. First, and most obvious, is the allusion to the character Rosanna who is herself a sister and daughter. But after a while, when you begin to wonder why the play would be named after someone who doesn’t appear in most of the first act, you begin to wonder why else this title would be chosen. That is when the second definition of “sister” arises: sister – as in Nun – as in a woman who is extremely pure and virtuous. This definition fits so perfectly within the play.

The story focuses on a small family of three – a brother, a sister and a mother. Each with their own issues and questions about life and most importantly, about love. The women in the play want to better understand men – why they betray, why they can easily move from one woman to the next without care. The young man in the play also wants to understand the opposite sex better: why women choose to be disobedient and why they don’t always strive to make their men happy.

What it all boils down to eventually is man’s betrayal and whether or not a woman actually needs a man to survive. Sometimes it seems as if a woman’s entire life is based around the existence of man in it. But this play shows a family who all agree to decide that life is about more than needing a husband or a father. It is about appreciating the family you do have and loving the people who stand by you no matter what.

The great cast of Sister (Eleanor Ruth, Brian Voelcker and Shân Willis) do a wonderful job portraying three totally different people locked together within this family. The show raises many questions about love and the opposite sex that makes sure your experience does not end at the curtain call. You are left with so much to think about and so much to question yourself. The plot itself is very entertaining (with a twist you never see coming) and highly inquisitive. If only everything could make us think about so much.

La MaMa e.t.c
74A E. Fourth Street, New York
www.lamama.org

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