MOTHER-DAUGHTER TROUBLE SPELLED OUT IN `ELEEMOSYNARY'.Byline: Reed Johnson Daily News Staff Writer Before the mid 1970s, or thereabouts there·a·bouts also there·a·bout adv. 1. Near that place; about there: somewhere in Kansas or thereabouts. 2. About that number, amount, or time. , the only plays about troubled mother-daughter relationships all seemed to be written by men (``The Glass Menagerie,'' ``Mrs. Warren's Profession Mrs Warren's Profession is a play written by G. Bernard Shaw in 1893. The story centers on the relationship between Mrs Warren, a prostitute, described by Shaw as "on the whole, a genial and fairly presentable old blackguard of a woman," and her "prudish" daughter, Vivie ,'' etc.). Then along came the feminist revolution, spawning a whole new generation of works about troubled mother-daughter relationships, also written by men (``Steel Magnolias,'' ``Terms of Endearment en·dear·ment n. 1. The act of endearing. 2. An expression of affection, such as a caress. endearment Noun an affectionate word or phrase Noun 1. ,'' ``The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds,'' etc.). Among the least presumptuous examples of the genre is Lee Blessing's ``Eleemosynary eleemosynary (eh-luh-moss-uh-nary) adj. charitable, as applied to a purpose or institution. ELEEMOSYNARY. Charitable alms-giving. 2. Eleemosynary corporations are colleges, schools, and hospitals. 1 Wood. Lect. 474; Skinn. ,'' currently receiving a warmly understated outing at the Ventura Court Theatre in Studio City (where it recently transferred from Hollywood's West Coast Ensemble). Blessing's mouthful of a title (el-uh-MOS-i-nary), meaning ``charitable act,'' sounds like a spelling bee tie-breaker. That's exactly what it was, explains Echo (Meredith Bishop), a national spelling champ and the youngest of three generations of remarkable women. In the course of the play's rotating flashbacks and monologues, we learn that Echo's precocious talent gives vent to the thwarted, sublimated sub·li·mate v. sub·li·mat·ed, sub·li·mat·ing, sub·li·mates v.tr. 1. Chemistry To cause (a solid or gas) to change state without becoming a liquid. 2. a. ambition she inherited from her pensive, pent-up mother Artie (D.J. Harner), who in turn inherited it from her mother, the spacey spac·ey adj. Slang Variant of spacy. Adj. 1. spacey - stupefied by (or as if by) some narcotic drug spaced-out, spacy unconventional - not conventional or conformist; "unconventional life styles" matriarch Dorothea (Bobbi Holtzman). Directed by Peter Grego in a spirit of gentle reflection, ``Eleemosynary'' concerns itself with the way that women on opposite sides of the feminist divide seek each others' love and approval. Though some of Blessing's formulations - about the mysteries of childbearing, or the love-hate nature of daughterly devotion - smack of cliche, his dialogue brims with unassuming wit and a lyrical introspectiveness in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr , enhanced here by Bruno Louchoarn's ambient score. Though slightly under-energized, the cast performs well. Bishop's blithe blithe adj. blith·er, blith·est 1. Carefree and lighthearted. 2. Lacking or showing a lack of due concern; casual: spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation. exasperation makes a suitable foil for Harner's high-strung, sympathetic brittleness. Though her speech occasionally lacks crispness, Holtzman expresses a charming fusion of ditsiness and spiritual clarity. THE FACTS What: ``Eleemosynary.'' Where: Ventura Court Theatre, 12417 Ventura Court, Studio City. When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Feb. 16. Tickets: $12-$16. Call (213) 466-1767 or (818) 953-9993. Our rating: Three Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Meredith Bishop, left, D.J. Harner and Bobbi Holtzman star in ``Eleemosynary,'' at the Ventura Court Theatre in Studio City. |
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