Blue Straw Hat
The perks of being middle-aged
By: Siobhan Anderson
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Entertainment
|
Set in what seems to be a town similar to Amherst, Blue Straw Hat is the story of one middle aged, recently divorced woman who is pushed into the world of online dating by a friend. Over the course of the play, Beryl goes on ten dates with strangers she has been set up with and is forced to interact with a series of gentleman who range from a pathological teenager to a misogynistic Red Sox super fan. Beryl's voice is extremely piercing because her character acts as a sort of blank slate for these men to reveal their personalities upon. Beryl has her own a distinct personality, but her character is more identifiable in that she could truly be any middle-aged woman we walk by or speak to every day. She is friendly, sweet, educated and opinionated. The more humorous nuances of her dates are enhanced by the perceived normality of Beryl's character.
The most striking aspect of seeing the play performed is that there is only one voice throughout the entire piece and that is Beryl's. The audience only learns what her date is saying through her response to the unheard comment. The set was stark; with only one spotlight and a single char and table, Beryl was the focal point in every scene. The men she meets slowly reveal the details of Beryl's life and the more peculiar things she loves and likes to do; the things that make all of us feel alive no matter what age we may be. The more subtle literary nuances of the play are revealed in her clothing choices, mannerisms and in fact, what she orders at the café where she meets all of her dates. I found myself keyed into her drink choice after a few of the first dates when I realized that what she ordered (or how she ordered it) would often be a good indicator as to the kind of person she was dining with.
Demas describes her relationship with the play as a kind of "first love." This is Demas' first play, though she has published various short stories, two novels and many children's books. When asked why she chose to use Beryl's character in a play as opposed to using her experience in prose she replied, "It had to be a play. It was Beryl's voice the whole time. She wasn't a novel or a poem or a short story, it was her spoken voice that was in my head." It truly is this voice that leaves with you from the theatre. I was most likely the youngest person in the audience at the play and though I found the play moving and certainly funny at times, the rest of the older playgoers laughed and sighed in a way I just couldn't yet. The play makes one feel good about the possibilities of love, as, in the end of the play, Beryl ends up going on a real date with the waiter that has been serving her the whole time. As Demas said, "I wanted there to be hope." This sense of hope is what makes me wish that Blue Straw Hat continues to be performed so that when I am lonely and wood-walking in my 50s I can know that there are other Beryl's like me out there, optimistic and ready to be loved.