‘Talking With’ A Must See

‘Talking With’ premiered to a full house Friday, Jan. 10 at Theatre Palisades. The series of 11 monologues, written by Jane Martin, was superbly cast and directed by Philip Bartolf. The all-female cast was believable in every roll, seamlessly transitioning from piece to piece in an impressive display.

Each monologue was interesting and powerful in its own right, though I’m sure each member of the audience experienced a different performance – all affected differently by the characters that resonated most personally. Some emotional, some humorous, some uncomfortable; all were powerful and moving.

Several performances rang as standout work, including the opening monologue 15 Minutes by Analeis Lorig who delivered an impressive array of emotion and set the tone for the remainder of the show. Her ability to succumb to and then control her emotions on stage was elegant and authentic. Rosie Mandel was comically psychotic in her piece Audition and uncomfortable laughter rolled right into the following performance Twirler, by Lindsey Huchowski – providing an eerie look into the religion of baton twirling in the South.

In the second act, Silvia Tovar was incredible in her performance of Dragons, a commentary on motherhood, religion and perfection – all from the shallow breaths of the delivery room. Tovar was superb.

Julie Urbanek was spot on in her performance of a rough and tumble cowgirl in Rodeo – another indicator of a well-cast show.

In a firestorm of poetry, Zoe Lillian took us straight to church in the most terrifying way in her rendition of Handler. It was Julia Whitcombe who had the audience laughing with French Fries, and while her performance was comical it certainly wasn’t devoid of any depth.

The diversity of the characters and their stories in ‘Talking With’ offered the intensity and tenderness only the best live theatre can. The ladies of Theatre Palisades covered a wide spectrum of the life and times of women from varying generations, creeds and experiences and they did it without heavy styling or set design. The purity and simplicity of this performance only highlighted the impressive work done by each and every woman on the stage.

‘Talking With’ is not to be missed.