Massachusetts & Mrs. Parker

We got word from our friends in Boston that a November 20 live theater production of a Dorothy Parker show was a big success. Staged at Bad Girrls Studios in Jamaica Plain, Mass., Excuse Our Dust, A Tribute to Dorothy Parker was a one-night affair that showcased the talents of four actresses as they brought Dottie to life in New England.

One of the four actresses in the show, Trista Beard, sent us this report.

“It went great. We had a nice sized audience of about 60 in a gallery/performance space. “Fresh Hell” (my bio piece) was well received. It gave the audience a glimpse of Dorothy Parker, her life and her style. I spoke about her lovers and her view on writing as hard work, her friendships, and the Round Table. I had a slide show punctuate the 20-minute piece with visual images of Dorothy, her friends, the Algonquin, and her fellow writers of the time.

“Following my performance was Loann West who read “The Telephone Call” and a Parker-style story of her own sitting at a writing table with an old school phone nearby. Her pieces were funny and whip smart.

“Next were Karine Albano and Robert Cuddy performing “The Sexes” — it was brilliant and hilarious. They gave the characters life and everyone had a laugh.

“In the last piece were Niki Ford and Catherine Fisher. Niki created a living room setting and acted out events in Dorothy’s life and recited some of her poetry. Catherine hid behind a beautiful antique curtain and provided shadows to help give depth to the visual stories.

“Everyone was thrilled to experience Dorothy Parker through live performance and there was much talk about what people had read and how she influenced him or her.”