A Feminine Ending = Twilight’s New Beginning

Madison Gourlay and Michael Conner Humphreys
Photo by Alicia Turvin

By Tina Arth 

In March 2020, the last show I saw before Covid-19 shut down the local theater scene (and a lot more!) was opening night of playwright Sarah Treem’s quirkily appealing A Feminine Ending at Twilight Theater Company. When it became clear that it would not survive the first weekend I never actually wrote a review; distracted by the viral Armageddon, I promptly forgot all about it.  Some 18 months later, in a new world of vaccines and delta variants, director Dorinda Toner has resurrected the show with three original cast members and two newcomers. Courtesy of Covid-induced amnesia, I can’t really compare the new version to its predecessor – but it’s a really fine production and well worth a visit to North Portland for folks ready to go back to live theater.

 

The title comes from a musical term about ending a phrase on a weak note, immediately raising the specter of feminist themes (accurate, but Treem’s characterizations cover a lot more). The story is told from the perspective and within the head, of Amanda, a young oboist originally from New Hampshire. She sets the stage with two pieces of information: 1) the orchestra is always tuned to the oboe, as it always plays a perfect A note, and 2) there have been no famous woman composers – dispiriting, as she is trying to make it as a composer in NYC.  Amanda pays the bills with the money she makes writing music for advertising jingles – not exactly her life’s goal. Her partner Jack Handel is on the verge of making it big as a young rock star, and he is offering her (as his mate) the “extraordinary life” she dreams of – but in his shadow, not as an accomplished musician in her own right.  They become engaged (briefly), but before the wedding she is called off to New Hampshire by her mother, who is in crisis again.  Through interactions with her mother, her father, and her high school boyfriend Billy, now the local mailman, Amanda finally finds her way – no easy answers, but the courage to quietly persist in being her own woman.

 

Michael Conner Humphreys (Jack) has a tough role to fill, as he’s stuck being the least sympathetic character. However, watching him develop from a show biz naïf to a budding narcissist is definitely amusing – it was occasionally tough to restrain myself from pulling Amanda aside for a quick reality check. In the limited time he has on stage. David Mitchum Brown (as Amanda’s father, David) does a wonderful job of being everything Jack is not. Before we meet him, Amanda’s mom Kim leads us to believe that he is the architect of her life’s shortcomings – faithless and disconnected from his spouse. Brown quickly disabuses us of this notion, through the wry, warm and comfortable expression of his relationship with Amanda and through his generous understanding and acceptance of his wife’s odd view of reality.

 

Then there’s Kim, wonderfully portrayed by Twilight mainstay Alicia Turvin. She jumps from sarcasm to rage to pain with every line she delivers – sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and always a bit puzzling as she unspools the facets of her character.

 

Jeremy Abe is unforgettable as the thoroughly likeable Billy, with his furry hat, easy grin, and gentle New Hampshire accent. While Amanda, Jack, and Kim all long for extraordinary lives, Abe’s performance showcases the value of an ordinary life lived extraordinarily well, adding an interesting sub-theme to the more prominent feminist tropes.

 

Finally, of course, there’s oh-so-cute Madison Gourlay delivering the many faces of Amanda as she bounces from optimism to insecurity, frustration to determination, reluctant dependence to hard-won independence.  She slides seamlessly from addressing the audience to interacting with her cast mates – there are no jarring transitions as she moves from narration to recreation of her story.

 

Toner’s set design is minimalist, with just enough scenery and props to suggest locales visited from within the narrator’s head. Robin Pair’s lighting design really helps by shifting our attention toward the relevant props, and the lighted trees in the apple orchard provide a show-stopping moment.

 

Twilight Theater Company’s A Feminine Ending is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through September 26th, with performances at 8 P.M. on Friday–Saturday, and 3:00 PM on Sunday.