VOICE CHOICE – for masterful storytelling by Birgitte Solem AND for compassionate, sensitive direction by Robert Ross Parker.
“A flawless solo work of incredible maturity and depth. Birgitte Solem’s compelling performance left me speechless. Outstanding, engaging theatre, indeed.”
Rarely will I lead a standing ovation at the theatre anymore unless a production truly moves me. Last summer, I did at Gananoque’s Thousand Islands Playhouse.
This time, I’m proud to say I led it once again at Stratford’s Here for Now Theatre’s flawless performance of Jennifer Fawcett’s ‘Apples in Winter’.
Run to get tickets for this. Please! This Apples in Winter is what the theatre is all about.
The setting appears to be a kitchen. Miriam (Birgitte Solem) breaks the fourth wall at the top of the show. She’s doing something she has done countless times before. She’s making an apple pie and talks about how she has always done it. She talks about the apples and which kind is best for the pie. Late summer and early fall appear to be the most opportune times to bake, as apples are in season.
It seems as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
Yet there is.
When Miriam reaches for one of the three apples to begin peeling it, that’s when the actual reality of where we are sets in. Upon reaching for the knife, we see it is chained to the table. We are in a prison kitchen, not in Miriam’s home. Miriam is in the process of making an apple pie for her unseen son, Robert, on death row. Robert has requested his mother to make the pie as his last meal before his execution.
Over the course of one hour that flies by in no time, Miriam compellingly speaks to us, a silent and attentive audience, while preparing the pie before placing it in the oven. She sets the timer when she places the pie in the oven. While Miriam waits for the timer, she shares what occurred with Robert and why he is on death row. For future audiences, pay close attention as Miriam tells what happened. It is Solem’s genuinely matter-of-fact and candid delivery that speaks volumes and leaves the audience in a shocked and hushed response.
Darren Burkett’s set design and suggestion of a mostly sterile prison kitchen is amply situated centre stage. Upstage is the kitchen sink and working refrigerator from which Miriam will take various items in preparing the pie. Downstage is the sterile island where she prepares the pie. Burkett’s lighting design duly and appropriately suggests the blinding brightness of standard fluorescent tubing used in most buildings. Upstage right is a working oven, clearly an essential prop item.
A standard institutional-looking twelve-hour wall clock is centred on the back wall of the kitchen prison. Director Robert Ross Parker skillfully uses playwright Jennifer Fawcett’s concept of time as a key motif in the production. When I sat down, the minute hand of the clock immediately caught my attention, while the hour hand was set differently. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for future audiences, but I encourage you to pay attention to the clock during the pre-show if you can. As the significance of the clock and the passage of time becomes clear, Parker intensifies the suspense for both Miriam and the audience.
For a basic understanding, setting a timer obviously alerts one to remove the pie so it doesn’t burn.
In Apples in Winter, the passage of time and Miriam’s perspective on it take on a completely different meaning.
Parker confidently directs the production and clearly knows a thing or two about building subtle intrigue and suspense bit by bit. There are moments where I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat when I finally pieced together what’s occurring.
Birgitte Solem remains the primary reason why you must see Apples in Winter.
She is a masterful storyteller who convincingly illustrates the troubled mind and soul of a parent facing the most horrific challenge imaginable. Solem remains composed, navigating the emotional complexities of her reality without losing control. She grapples with the deep anguish of a love that must remain unconditional, regardless of the circumstances life presents.
The one-hour journey with Solem’s Miriam is a one-hour master class in acting.
Her final words of the play still haunt me today.
Please go and see Apples in Winter.
The production runs until August 31 at the Here for Now Theatre, 24 St. Andrew Street, Stratford. For tickets: herefornowtheatre.com or call (519) 272-4368)
HERE FOR NOW presents the Canadian Premiere
‘Apples in Winter’ by Jennifer Fawcett
Directed by Robert Ross Parker
Light, Set and Costume Design: Darren Burkett
Stage Manager: Sam Snyders
Performer: Birgitte Solem
