Credit: Helena Froberg
A Woman of a Certain Age
Studio 16: September 7, 9, 10, 13 and 15, 2019
Tickets at vancouverfringe.com or at the door
Posted September 7, 2019
Writer Wendy Froberg is a woman of a certain age and she’s a registered clinical psychologist so she really knows her stuff. She’s also charming on stage in half a dozen roles beginning with sandwich-generation Gwen, who has just been picked up for shoplifting, and lawyer Lucie who’s advising her. I don’t know why Gwen shoplifted the bra and the nightgown with credit cards and sufficient cash in her wallet – and we don’t ever figure out why. Is it, as Lucie suggests, just a plea for attention?
Strongest and funniest of the characters is recently-dumped Lucie who takes a crack at online dating. And saddest is Gwen’s widowed mother who forgets husband George is dead; she just wants to leave the elder care facility and go home: “I’m not really a wife. I’m not really a mother. Why go on?” the old gal asks, pocketing yet another sleeping pill.
Froberg, with no props other than glasses that go on and off, touches on all the issues facing women in their 50s and beyond, including marriage breakdown, feeling unattractive, considering cosmetic surgery, caring for aging parents, dealing with young adult offspring and balancing work with family time.
The characters, however, aren’t differentiated enough and fewer would make for a stronger play. Folksy advice from Magda, the European aesthetician, tells us what we already know: family and friends get us through the hard times – so hang on to them.