Review: 'The Cayuga Canal Girls' at Phoenix Stage Company

Oakville - Phoenix Stage Company is finally presenting their long-awaited world premiere of “The Cayuga Canal Girls” by Laura King. The play has been two years in the making due to pandemic delays.

The Oakville theatre was selected as a producing theatre in the American Association of Community Theatre’s NewPlayFest2020. This is the second time that Phoenix Stage has been chosen for this honor, the first being a play that was produced when the group was based in Naugatuck. This piece marks the last time that Phoenix Stage will be selected as a presenting theatre.

According to the program for this production, the NewPlayFest is an initiative by the association to address the critical need for new, high-quality plays for community theatre audiences around the world. Many theatres across the country applied to be a producing theatre and more than 280 playwrights submitted scripts. Only six theatres and six scripts were ultimately selected for full productions.

King, a member of the Dramatists Guild, lives in Barnersville, Georgia and writes both full-length plays and plays for young audiences. Kathy Pingel served as the dramaturg for AACT’s NewPlayFest. Opening weekend of this dark comedy featured a talk back after the show with the playwright.

“The Cayuga Canal Girls” is the story of five female childhood friends who reunite in their historical hometown of Seneca Falls, New York, to lay one of their own to rest. The script reminds the audience that Seneca Falls is referred to as the birthplace of women’s suffrage.

Some secrets of the past are exposed and truths are finally told. The members of the group examine the choices they've made that have separated them and finally remember the ties that will forever bind them. All of the women must deal with grief in whatever manner they can, making this play all the more timely.

I found the theme of feminism almost secondary to the strong ties that bind the characters to the untimely death of Emily. The womens’ stories have their ups and downs, mixed with some comedy and the potential for tears; the two acts take the audience on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

The show was carefully directed by Ed Bassett, a founding member of the Phoenix Stage Company and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He believes that the strength of the long-standing relationships among the cast members, as well as the close contact with the playwright, will shine through the performance. He is grateful to King for trusting them with her work.

The well-honed cast includes five Phoenix Stage female veterans who are delighted that they are finally able to bring their characters to life for an audience. Fortunately, these are the same five actors that were a part of the production when it was shut down during their tech week because of the pandemic.

Phoenix Stage Company Production Manager Lori Poulin plays the devout and uptight Marta. Deb Goodman (“Kill Me, Deadly”) returns to this stage in the role of Lucy, a mental health care professional.

Cheyenne Walent plays the brassy Marianne in her first non-musical role on the stage. (Walent actually gets to perform a bit of singing that is written in the script.) “This beautiful piece of art has been life-changing for me. It has been an honor and a privilege to bring this work to life. It has been an otherworldly experience to work alongside such brilliant artists and truly wonderful human beings,” she posted on social media.

KC Ross takes on the role of the self-sacrificing and loyal Jane. Teresa Alexandru portrays Eliza, the broken younger sister of the deceased, and as always, she does so very well. The actress dedicates her performance to the late Donna Storms, the person who brought Alexandru into the Phoenix Family. “I know you’re cheering us one from above,” she writes in her bio.
Bassett and Poulin were in charge of the contemporary costumes and Bassett collected the piles of props. He also designed the clever set that is completely transformed during the intermission. I recommend going out to the lobby at the beginning of intermission to get the full effect, unless you are curious as to how the set change is so quickly accomplished.
Lighting design by Al Hathway works well, especially the heat lightning effect, and the sound design of the director seals the edges well.

The first act of play runs less than an hour and the second is even shorter. Be prepared for some foul language, as well as some Shakespearean references. In order to attend live performances, patrons will be required to show proof of vaccination against Covid19. Masks will be strongly recommended while in the theater but may be removed while eating or drinking.

The world premiere of “The Cayuga Canal Girls” runs weekends through Oct. 23. It is made possible in part by a grant from the Jack K. Ayre and Frank Ayre Lee Theatre Foundation and is sponsored by Dramatic Publishing Company.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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