The Silent Woman: Parallel Lives in Different Eras
Julia Zgurzynski
The story of how I came to see this play is so extraordinary, it must be included. One day, I was riding the tube and reading The Convert by Danai Gurira for class, when the man next to me on the tube politely asked to know the name of the play I was reading. He must have noticed the dialogue format of the book and became intrigued because, as he told me, he was a playwright himself. Ned and I chatted about my book, London, theater, and his play The Silent Woman, which he co-wrote with the actress Alexandria Haber. He told me that it was soon going to be playing at the White Bear Theater, and he was actually headed there now for the dress rehearsal with his theater company, Savage Kid. He handed me a few flyers for the play, and when we met again, we were at the White Bear.
The play opens with Rose (Cara Steele), who thinks she still lives in the house where she was once a maid in Victorian times, Clifftop Manor. We realize that she is only a ghost, when Cassie (Alexandria Haber) and Vicki (Jane Wheeler) enter the house, in modern clothes, and they can not see her. They are spending a vacation in Clifftop Manor so that Vicki can spend some time working on her novel, and clear her writer’s block. Vicki and Cassie are childhood friends, and they are still close, but their relationship is a bit strained. Vicky has apparently had a perfect life, but Cassie, on the other hand, was cheated on, was divorced, and lost custody of her daughter, Janie. Understandably, she is more pessimistic. Shortly after settling into the manor, the two women head to the local pub for dinner. It is there they meet Moira (Fiona Tong), its ridiculous proprietor, who tells them a tall tale about the ghost of Clifftop Manor. Apparently the ghost makes noises in the night—screams, cries, loud thuds, and a baby’s cries. Vicki and Cassie hardly heed the warnings, but then Cassie starts hearing the spooky noises and is unable to sleep. Vicki, however, does not hear them. Cassie gets increasingly irritated and Vicki is still unable to understand. Along the way, Vicki and Cassie discover bits of paper in between the pages of Jane Eyre with clues that help them discover the tragic story of a maid at Clifftop Manor who also lost her child. Eventually both Rose and Cassie’s stories are revealed, and they are silent women no more.
The production made use of a few interesting effects, which made even the tiny black box theater an effective set. Occasionally Cassie would get a feeling the ghost was near, and say she felt a chill. At the same time, a subtle gust of cold air rushed into the theater, just enough to give the audience a slight eerie chill. Also, the lights would flash at scary moments, and at one point a red glow came from under the curtain. As far as dramatic effects written into the script, Cassie and Vicki would sometimes speak to the audience in the third person, thus narrating their own story. I found it to be helpful, especially in the beginning when we first met them, and were trying to understand the differences between them. Further, it makes sense with the story because Vicki is writing them into her novel as the play progresses. Another interesting feature of the script was when Cassie and Rose were finishing each other’s sentences. Rose can hear Cassie but Cassie can’t hear Rose, but even without hearing her, Cassie can complete Rose’s thoughts because they are the same as her own.
Due to the stage effects and the nature of the story, the play certainly had a serious feel, but seamlessly woven in were some great jokes. They were perfectly delivered and the crowd always burst out laughing. I also enjoyed the way that the play overlaid the women’s different experiences, within and across eras. Rose understands Cassie more than Vicki does, which shows that everyone’s experiences are valid even if others do not understand. It was truly special watching a play while knowing the person who wrote it. After the show, I went to see Ned and he introduced me to Alex, who played Cassie. It was so cool to meet the actress who I had just been watching on stage. Overall, I found that the play presented a meaningful story with convincing theatrical effects, but most of all, I am glad that I happened to meet Ned Cox and got to experience his play.
