Review: The Women of Lockerbie (AstonRep Theatre)

Faulty telling of inspiring story

While compelling and fulfilling, true stories require a sure hand in adaptation. Failure to carefully construct a narrative out of actual events can result in an experience that's more maudlin and cliché than sobering and/or inspiring. The Women of Lockerbie is unfortunately the former scenario, rather than the latter. The story itself is little-known but packs an emotional punch, a good concept and an even better idea for a project. If it were only better written, The Women of Lockerbie would have been an entirely different production: a stronger, more effective one.

In December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all passengers and crew, plus a handful of the town's residents. Seven years later, debris from the flight was still in abundance, only some of which was collected as evidence of the terrorist attack that caused the plane crash. A handful of Lockerbie women petitioned local government to preserve the remaining relics, most of which were the dead passengers' clothes, which they then laundered and mailed to the victims' families. This "laundry project" was cathartic for all involved, helping the Lockerbie citizens make sense of a terrible tragedy, and the families receive some closure on their lost loved ones.

At its core, The Women of Lockerbie is a beautiful story: one that should be widely told and adapted, especially in such uncertain and violent times. Playwright Deborah Brevoortconfesses in a program interview that she couldn't get the play produced for several years - then 9/11 happened and suddenly producers found it relevant. I'm afraid it was more than supposed irrelevance that kept The Women of Lockerbie in the dark for so long. Sadly, while the story is wonderful, the script is just the opposite. Every trope you can think of takes place in the play's scant 80 minutes: the grieving American parents (including the bordering-on-insane wife), the stodgy town leader and his scrappy housekeeper, the local woman who may have more of a personal stake in the tragedy than she lets on. The dialogue is choppy and reminiscent of a Lifetime movie, rather than an honest exploration of the complex emotions that arise from such a magnificent loss. And even though the play is short, the pacing is so slow that it feels twice as long.

The Women of Lockerbie definitely has its strengths. Samantha Barr has designed excellent, moody lighting and Uriel Gomez's costumes are almost eerily reminiscent of a cool, foggy climate in 1995. Kendra Kingsburyhas done an admirable job as dialect coach: if a few of the actors don't sound one hundred percent Scottish, at least they're not mangling the accent. Alexandra Bennett gives a strong performance as Olive, a maternal Lockerbie woman with a secret, who finds herself at the forefront of the clothing preservation movement. And Sara Pavlak McGuire shines as Hattie, a sassy cleaning woman who refuses to let men walk all over her.

There's no denying The Women of Lockerbie is a special story. Brevoort's script, however, doesn't do the real-life women justice. This play might actually work well in community theater, with its plethora of strong female characters, but isn't well-suited to a professional Chicago company such as AstonRep. I wanted to like Women of Lockerbie and walk away changed; instead, I nearly forgot about it the second I left Raven Theatre on a cold Sunday afternoon.

The Women of Lockerbie continues through May 8th at Raven Theatre's West Stage, 6157 N. Clark (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3:30pm. Tickets are $20 (students/seniors/industry: $10), and are available by phone (800-838-3006) or online at BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at AstonRep.com. (Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission)

Alexandra Bennett (Olive), Jeff Brown (Bill), Amy Kasper (Madelaine), Ray Kasper (George), Sara Paviak McGuire (Hattie), Barbara Button, Lorraine Freund, Morgan Manasa, Hayley Rice (ensemble)

behind the scenes

Robert Tobin (director, sound design, original music), Jeremiah Barr (set design, technical director), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Samantha Barr (lighting design, production manager), Arielle Valene (props design), Kendra Kingsbury (dialect coach, vocal coach), Lara Caprini (stage manager), Clayton Horath (original music), Lea Tobin (graphic design), Emily Schwartz (photography)

Tags: 16-0417, Alexandra Bennett, Amy Kasper, Arielle Valene, AstonRep Theatre, Barbara Button, Chicago Theater, Clayton Horath, Deborah Brevoort, Emily Schwartz, Hayley Rice, Jeff Brown, Jeremiah Barr, Kendra Kingsbury, Lara Caprini, Lauren Whalen, Lea Tobin, Lorraine Freund, Morgan Manasa, post, Raven Theatre, Ray Kasper, Robert Tobin, Samantha Barr, Sara Paviak McGuire, Uriel Gomez

Category: 2016 Reviews, AstonRep Theatre, Lauren Whalen, Raven Theatre West Stage