For The Pleasure of Seeing Her Again
Directed by John Vreeke
B. Holmes and C. Flye
What The Critics Are Saying About
For The Pleasure of Seeing Her Again
“earthy, effervescent…an unabashedly loving tribute…a woman who ranked
up there with Chaucer and Moliere in her skill at exaggeration and daggered
humor…a Rabelasian heartiness…an entertaining raconteur--Nana has the soul
of an artist…Miss Flye is an ideal fit for the part of Nana. With her loopy, expressive body language and hectic
delivery, Miss Flye can sell a story like nobody’s business…she could make
a trip to the grocery store seem like a five-act Greek tragedy, only funnier…about
the power of imagination…potent and lingering…”
Jayne
Blanchard, Washington Times
“an adoring memoir…Tremblay’s affection is so complete that he gives
his mother the stage in every conceivable way…(Catherine) Flye’s a hoot,
full of righteous criticism and vivid detail…The best part of ‘For the Pleasure’
is the sly revelation of what this relationship led to:
the subtle exchange of cynical critical distance for openhearted,
wide-ranging imagination. It’s a sweet family
portrait…the theatrical flourish that Tremblay engineers--seems like perfect
repayment for gifts that may have been unwitting, but were lavish nonetheless.”
Nelson
Pressley, Washington Post
“Flye
is at the heart of this piece and makes it a very human heart indeed. The character she creates has enough capacity to
frustrate and irritate her son to keep the portrait from being cloying,
while filling the hall with the tenderness and love that his recollections
bring to the fore. She’s funny as well, delivering
Tremblay’s flood of tiny details and strong memories with energy and flair…‘she
takes over the stage the minute she arrives, she fills it, dominates it,
makes it her kingdom. It is her space.’” A Potomac
Stages Pick
Brad
Hathaway, potomacstages.com
“comic…poignant…universal…veteran
Washington
actress Catherine Flye does a very fine job with material in what is largely
a one woman show.”
Deryl Davis, Washington Theater Review
“sensitive…humorous…heartily
recommended for its stunning performance by Catherine Flye…a three credit
course in the fine art of acting…”
Bob
Anthony
“Audiences
at MetroStage can have the pleasure of seeing Catherine Flye again in a
lovely new, two-person show…emotional sweetness…intellectual honesty…a charming,
heart warming and highly entertaining evening.”
Brad
Hathaway, Alexandria Gazette Packet
'For the Pleasure': Tapping a Mother
Lode
By Nelson Pressley
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The usual rule is that when a son writes a play about his mother, she
should look out. But Canadian writer Michel Tremblay goes against convention
in the mannerly and sentimental "For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again." The
two-character play, being cautiously performed at Alexandria's MetroStage,
is an adoring memoir, and Tremblay's affection is so complete that he gives
his mother the stage in every conceivable way.
For Nana, as the mother figure is called here, it would have been a thrill
to be in that unfathomable land where artists dwell -- "on the other side,"
she calls it. Tremblay obviously gets a kick out of putting her there,
and he keeps himself -- the narrator, that is -- well out of the way; the
limelight is strictly for Nana. (Well, it is until Tremblay unveils his
nifty little coup de theatre at the end.) At MetroStage, Bruce M. Holmes
plays the son, and for almost the entire 90 minutes he sits on one side
of the stage and listens as Catherine Flye, oddly but forgivably bringing
a bit of her native Britain to this Quebecois figure, chatters and scolds
and dominates conversations as only an iron-willed mother can.
Tremblay writes about the narrator/son in his formative years, as he
grows from a teenager old enough to talk back a little, to a young man
old enough to be out on his own (and nearly fully out of the closet; Nana
has a tacit understanding that her son is gay). From his chair on the side,
Holmes plays the kid without a lot of adolescent-style folderol. He sends
his lines toward Flye in a straightforward way, sensibly offering the young
Tremblay's arguments and watching in awe as Flye's Nana replies with logic
that lifts and twists and blows smoke like a stunt plane.
"I've learned to let you talk," the narrator says to her when he's a
little older. "It's funnier."
True enough, at least some of the time. Flye's a hoot, full of righteous
criticism and vivid detail as Nana reenacts the time she reluctantly went
to see her niece in a school recital ("a vision of horror," Nana says). More
often, you can sense Tremblay scrutinizing Nana's baffling answers for kernels
of sense. Why, for instance, is Nana so stuck on low-grade melodramatic literature?
Can't she tell it's not remotely real?
Well, sure she can, up to a point, and then why not let go? The best
part of "For the Pleasure" is the sly revelation of what this relationship
led to: the subtle exchange of cynical critical distance for openhearted,
wide-ranging imagination. It's a sweet family portrait.
It is not, however, a snap to make this quirky character study feel full-bodied,
and it's a bit curious that MetroStage -- which usually offers works that
aren't done elsewhere -- is reviving a piece that Arena Stage did (not
memorably) five years ago. Director John Vreeke handles the actors sensitively,
but he heaps the pressure on Flye, asking her to entertain us almost single-handedly.
She spends virtually every minute smack in the middle of set and lighting
designer Daniel Conway's drab brown decor, looking like your garden variety
dotty woman in a plaid apron with pockets big enough to hold a bushel of
apples.
The less colorful passages still seem a bit perplexing to Flye, especially
as the show gets started, but she's on very solid ground whenever the material
is funny or touching. She's particularly insightful when Nana gets starry-eyed
about the lives of people on "the other side," those artists whose number
will soon include her son. That adds to the poignancy of Tremblay's fail-safe
ending, when he offers his sickly mother the stage in a more figurative
way. By then, the theatrical flourish that Tremblay engineers -- think "Finding
Neverland" -- seems like perfect repayment for gifts that may have been
unwitting, but were lavish nonetheless.
MetroStage offers a tender valentine to a late mother
by Jolene Munch
Published on 10/27/2005
There is an unexpected abundance of mined wit and humor in Michel
Tremblay's For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again at Alexandria's
MetroStage, a tender and affectionate valentine to the playwright's late
mother. Sprawling over ten of his most impressionable years, Tremblay's
two-character script is practically a one-woman monologue that unfolds
over the course of ninety minutes.
In an energetic flurry of memory and emotion, Catherine Flye crafts
a profound performance as the narrator's mother, an instantly recognizable
figure of all that is maternal. She is not unlike a universe of mothers
past and present who dote and dream and criticize, exaggerating the truth
just a wee bit to illustrate points already well made. Flye is a nervous
Nelly of a mum, prone to vivid hyperbole (''He doesn't like my cooking;
he's going to kill me'') and gluttonous fits of melodrama in an exhausting,
highly physical interpretation.
As her bemused (and barely closeted) son, Bruce M. Holmes has little
to do other than open the act with an extended bit about what his play
is not. After introducing his histrionic subject -- ''Words
were her weapons,'' he explains -- Holmes fades into the background to
observe his mother's storytelling until he must react to it. Here, Holmes
displays the unnatural talent of relinquishing the floor to Flye while
also staying engaged in her relentless banter.
For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again
MetroStage
To 11/27
$35-$40
1-800-494-8497
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Linda Gaboriau is credited with translating the words of one of
Canada's most prolific and most lauded playwrights, and there are some particularly
lovely moments in Tremblay's tribute, including a humorous passage about
Tremblay's interest in literature at an early age and a poignant observation
by his mother on the unique and isolated relationship between actor and
audience.
All of Tremblay's memories play out in a fluid, faultless production
under the direction of John Vreeke, culminating in one of the most moving
and memorable endings the theatre arts can produce. When Tremblay's mother
must finally surrender to the sickness that took her life, Vreeke stages
a beautifully ephemeral and graceful journey for a mother and her grateful
son.
October
12 - November 27, 2005
For The Pleasure
of Seeing Her Again |
Reviewed October 16
Running time 1:30 - no intermission
t A Potomac Stages Pick for pure charm
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Here's a play with a perfect title, a thoroughly satisfying
structure and casting that fits remarkably well. The concept of the play
is the playwright's desire to have one more conversation with his late
mother, the woman who was so instrumental in his becoming a playwright
in the first place. The result is a pleasure for audiences. The casting
of Catherine Flye adds a rich dimension, leaving you wanting to return
to have the pleasure of her company again. Flye puts a distinctively
British stamp on the part which was originally written as a portrait of
and tribute to a French-Canadian Quebecois, the mother of Canada's highly
successful playwright Michel Tremblay (author of Albertine in Five
Times). British or French-Canadian, the bond between a mother
and son can be so strong and so universal that cultural or linguistic
distinctions become irrelevant.
Storyline: A playwright
misses his late mother and wants one more chance to have the pleasure
of her company. He recalls five different conversations he had with
her at different times during his youth and finally finds a way to
repay her in part for her role in developing his talents and interest
in literature and the theater.
Flye is at the heart of this piece
and makes it a very human heart indeed. The character she creates
has enough capacity to frustrate and irritate her son to keep the
portrait from being cloying, while filling the hall with the tenderness
and love that his recollections bring to the fore. She's funny as well,
delivering Tremblay's flood of tiny details and strong memories with
energy and flair, but never descending into shtick.
As fine as Flye's performance
is, it is well matched by Bruce M. Holmes in the supporting role of
the son. Supporting is the proper term here, for his primary function
is support for the actress playing the mother. He is a sounding board,
the character to whom she is talking and his reactions trigger hers.
He begins the evening as a narrator with the almost too cute opening
explanation for the show, but segues into the memory play gracefully.
He retakes a position of prominence for the final effect which is nicely
rendered and terribly touching. In between, he sits to the side of the
stage much as the dutiful son would do while Mum lectures, instructs,
corrects and - occasionally - praises.
Director John Vreeke has Holmes
enter from the rear of the hall and deliver much of the opening explanation
on his feet before he gets to his chair by the side of the stage.
He has him return to the middle of the hall at the end as he unveils
set designer Daniel Conway's final effect. These two off-stage transitions
work well to draw the audience in and emphasize the fact that essence
of the play is memory. It also concentrates the attention on Flye
for the bulk of the evening. She hardly needs such an assist from
the blocking, however. She takes the stage just as the stage directions
in the script specify: "(she) takes over the stage the minute she
arrives, she fills it, dominates it, makes it her kingdom. It is her
space." Indeed, it is.
Written by Michel Tremblay.
Translated by Linda Gaboriau. Directed by John Vreeke. Design: Daniel
Conway (set and lights) Rosemary Pardee (costumes) Veronica Lancaster
(sound) Christopher O. Banks (photography) Kate Kilbane (stage manager).
Cast: Catherine Flye, Bruce M. Holmes
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A CurtainUp DC 
Review
For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again
by Rich See
Michael Tremblay's two-person piece about a man who envisions visiting
with his deceased mother is a gently sweet production that looks at the
"every mother" who has been a staple of humanity since man and womankind
first walked the earth. The caregiver and protector of her family who is
not without her own flaws, she raises her children in the hopes that they
will surpass her own achievements, while never surpassing their need for
her care or nurturing. In America, she's the middle class Mom; more flesh,
blood and opinionated than Mrs. Cleaver, yet still there with the cookies
when you need a treat.
A homage to his own imaginative and loving mother, Tremblay starts his
play when the narrator is ten years old and has just been caught throwing
iceballs at passing vehicles by a neighborhood policeman. Over the course
of the ninety-minute show, you see how the mother/son relationship changes,
but the core of it remains the same. Mother teaches son, son teaches mother
and the two worry about each other as their lives progress and their stories
intertwine. Developed in five segments, which follow the narrator until he
is twenty-two and attending graphic design school, there is almost as much
unstated in the mother/son dynamic as is stated. It's the reading between
the lines, the emotions underlying the words, that pulls us into the play
and keeps us riveted as we watch the two discuss French novels, Saturday
night dinners, relatives and laundry accidents.
Filled with humor and some touching sadness, the piece pulls at our
sentimental heartstrings without becoming maudlin or saccharine. Which
is a testament to the author's talents and one reason he is one of Canada's
most prolific and published playwrights.
Director John Vreeke has developed a nicely paced play that never lags
and seldom wanders off target. Set and lighting designer Daniel Conway has
created a series of screens that allow an ethereal, dream-like quality to
pervade the production. Rosemary Pardee's costumes are on the mark as the
working class wear of the author's roots.
Bruce Holmes does an admiral job as the ever-aging Narrator. Starting
out at ten he creates the chastised child, the disdainful teen and finally
the young man on the outset of becoming "something." What he is becoming
he is not sure, just that he is embarking on his life journey while his
Mother's is nearing an end.
Catherine Flye as Nana is wonderful, witty and entrancing! While the
Narrator is an important part of the play, it's Ms. Flye's character who
charges the piece with her ongoing monologues and comedic tirades that reveal
her insecurities and limitations as well as her fertile imagination and inner
strength. While she is a wonderfully loving mother, she is also a human
being with flaws and so we see a gossipy, insecure and at times exasperated
parent confused by her son's predisposition for asking hard questions that
never occurred to her. It's a wonderful three dimensional portrayal of at
least one woman that you probably know. If you are looking to treat yourself,
For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again may be the production
to take in and savor.
Memories of a Mother, Brought Fondly
to Life
By Michael J. Toscano
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, November 17, 2005; Page VA06
Fans of actress Catherine Flye have just a few chances left to see her
in "For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again," which Alexandria's MetroStage
has produced primarily as a vehicle for her considerable talents. Almost
a one-woman show, the play is a mix of character study and memoir, allowing
Flye to demonstrate why she is an audience favorite.
"For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again" is a sentimental series of vignettes
written by French Canadian playwright and novelist Michel Tremblay in memory
of his mother, a warm and loving figure whom he credits with inspiring
his artistic sensibilities even as she raised him with firm direction.
He calls her Nana and lets us meet her through the memories of a loving
son.
Bruce Holmes as the Narrator and Catherine Flye as Nana in "For the Pleasure
of Seeing Her Again," which is being produced by Alexandria's MetroStage.
(By Christopher O. Banks)
As Tremblay portrays her, Nana is a compulsive storyteller who enlarges
the most mundane events and observations into epic tales to make a drab,
working-class life in early 1950s Canada bearable, thus passing on to her
son the desire to write and create.
One of the pillars of modern theater is the pathology of mother-playwright
relationships. The torment caused by mothers absent or overbearing, psychologically
frail or abusive, has given writers some of their best material. Would we
have the masterpieces of Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill without mothers
who contributed to their sons' need to work out their problems on paper?
Well, there is none of that here. Tremblay has written a love letter
to his mom, and Flye brings her warmly to life. In fact, the only other
character in the play, the Narrator (played by Bruce Holmes), who resembles
the playwright as a younger man, tells us in the opening moments that we
are not going to experience theater; we are just going to meet an ordinary
woman.
That promise is more or less kept, until the closing moments, when a
high degree of theatricality is introduced in a sentimental finale that
allows the son a chance to say an extended goodbye to his mother. But for
most of the 90 minutes, the Narrator provides brief segues between Nana's
stories, observations and the exhortations from a mother to the son she
worries about, instilling in him a love for words and illusion and drama.
Flye weaves a strong spell. Directed by John Vreeke, she brings as much
realism as is possible in what is essentially hagiography. She gives Nana
some prickly moments, and one can frequently sense inner fire, tension and
weariness beneath the placid exterior.
It is odd that Flye, a London-trained actor, plays the role of a French
Canadian woman by speaking in an English accent. Odder still, it doesn't
seem to matter, especially as Holmes speaks with Midwestern American tones
as her son.
Just as her character inhabits the playwright's memory, Flye remains
onstage throughout the play, even as the son/Narrator is briefly talking
to the audience about her. Vreeke usually places her just a few feet away
in those moments, and she silently observes from the shadows behind one
of several screens on the mostly barren stage. Holmes usually stays put
in the lone chair as his character reaches back into various stages of his
childhood and coming of age to summon up her tales.
Perhaps that's how he thinks of her now -- gone, but always near. The
writing of this play might have been a way for the playwright to keep his
mother alive and to allow him the pleasure of her company again. But thanks
to Flye's gifts for creating a natural, gritty presence onstage, it's a pleasure
shared by those who see the play that resulted.
"For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again" continues through Nov. 27 at MetroStage,
1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. Showtime is 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays
and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are available athttp://www.boxofficetickets.comor
by calling 800-494-8497. For more information, visithttp://www.metrostage.com.
For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again
by Michael Tremblay
Directed by John Vreeke
with Catherine Flye and Bruce M. Holmes
Set and Lighting Design: Daniel Conway
Costume Design: Rosemary Pardee
Sound Design: Veronica Lancaster
Running Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission
MetroStage, 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria
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