STAGE REVIEW
Relationships, history play roles in show
By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic
Victoria Kneubuhl's new play at Kumu Kahua Theatre is "Fanny and Belle," a study in mother-daughter tension set in historical context, with Robert Louis Stevenson as a supporting player.
It is a difficult proposition to move minor historical characters out of the shadow of a significant figure without giving them their own strong story. The story of Fanny and Belle is one of fragmented short scenes, directed by John Wat at a pace just short of lickety-split.
The structure is episodic, relived in Belle's memory as she returns to Samoa to bury Fanny beside Stevenson's grave. And the episodes in Fanny's life seem to be uniformly chaotic, as might be expected from a headstrong young woman pushing against an envelope that is largely lower middle-class Victorian.
Fanny marries too young and too poorly. Her husband is a philanderer and her divorce leaves her with young children and a social stigma. Her second marriage to Stevenson not only salvages Fanny's status, but provides a focus for her quixotic energies.
Belle follows her mother's life path, separating from her own alcoholic and womanizing husband at the same age that Fanny divorced. The women and their children live as part of Stevenson's extended family, often feuding and ultimately sustaining a prickly bond.
'Fanny and Belle'
Jennifer Robideau is commanding and competent as Fanny, particularly in the wide mood swings that take her to the edge of madness and back. Laura Bach is a mildly petulant Belle, always envious of her mother, but held to her like the gravitational pull on a satellite moon. James Rudy is a convincing Stevenson look-alike with a growling brogue.
Wat doesn't always make the most of Kumu Kahua's difficult playing area, staging scenes that have the actors turning their backs on parts of the audience and pulling some of the action into awkwardly placed corner pockets. He keeps traffic flowing however, with several of the supporting cast quadrupling in roles.
With so many short scenes, the play often jumps through time and space before we've deciphered where and who the characters are. Consequently, the opening of Act Two offers a respite, allowing us a longer exposure to experience some diverse characters as the Stevenson clan settles into daily life in their Samoan hideaway.
But with Stevenson's death, the play and Fanny resume their chaotic pattern, ultimately binding Belle to her mother's influence even after Fanny's own passing.
There's a bit of history in "Fanny and Belle" and a bit of relationship drama. But neither is strong enough to stand on its own or notably compelling when combined.