The play Roe, a production comprised, primarily, of BFA and MFA students at the University of Connecticut, examines the before and after events of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.
The show is informative and revealing about the debates and repercussions that preceded and followed the groundbreaking decision. While displaying a layered, and sometimes disturbing historical picture, Roe can be occasionally didatic and ineffectual in its presentation.
In Act I, we are introduced to the main players - Sarah Weddington (Annie Tolls), the young, inexperienced attorney who would end up successfully arguing the case before the Court; and Norma McCorvey (Audrey Latino), the anonymous woman recruited by Weddington and her partner to become Jane Roe. Both actresses give forthright performances, but they lacked nuance and refinement in their portrayals. There are other minor characters in the large cast, taking on multiple roles as the show marches on to its part one resolution. Tony King, as Actor 3, stood out among the performers in his various roles.
Act II brings us to the years following the Supreme Court ruling. Lives are forever changed, for good or for worse. What I found most interesting was the continual metamorphosis of Norma McCorvey as she morphs from a staunch advocate for a women’s right to choose to a born again Christian who becomes an ardent anti-abortion advocate.
The playwright, Lisa Loomer, has done her homework, unearthing facts and circumstances that provide heft to the production. This includes her discourse on the inequitable access to abortions by women of color and the poor. She gives all sides to the abortion issue their due, leaving it up to audience members to decide where they personally stand. However, there is also not always time to construct fully-fledged characters. Sometimes, they come across as merely mouthing information.
With so much material presented, there are numerous scenes, not all of them well-developed by Director Taneisha Duggan. When the play has a chance to settle in for extended moments - Norma McCorvey’s interactions with Operation Rescue’s Flip Benham or Actress 8’s (Casey Wortham) powerful, absorbing monologue on the helplessness of finding a willing abortion clinic - Ms. Duggan adeptly provides emotional and thoughtful vitality to the production.
The two Equity Actors in the show - Lori Vega and Andrew Rein - each brought out a more textured and nuanced performance. Ms. Vega (Actress 3), playing the girlfriend of Norma McCorvey, was reserved and circumspect, speaking volumes through her expressions and body language. Mr. Rein, mostly with his role as Flip Benham, gave a well-rounded depiction of the minister - soft-spoken, genial, but cagey and calculating.
One constant issue was the far too rapid pacing of dialogue by the young cast members. It was not always easy to understand and tempered subtleties of the performer’s portrayals. Likewise, incorporating genuine audio segments from the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court hearing was a misstep, producing a muddled, difficult to hear sound quality.
Roe, playing at the Nafe Katter Theatre, 820 Bolton Road in Storrs through March 11. Click here for dates and times.
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