Voices of Swords
Opening Night: August 15, 2014
Closing: September 7, 2014
Theater: Walkerspace
With this brand new dramatic comedy, two families are found dealing with aging parents in very different ways. In Voices of Swords, Alexis — a personal organizer whose own life is desperately in need of some outside help — is hired to assist Olivia Parks, a sweet old woman who’s soon scheduled for a heart operation. But Olivia isn’t quite the sweet old woman she was initially touted as, and the frenzied fury she feels towards her son for not coming home to take care of her puts Alexis in the midst of an intense familial conflict. While she’s meant to be sorting out the problems of others, Alexis’ own long-hidden truths begin to bubble to the surface, leading to an explosive revelation. Voices of Swords stars Broadway veteran Loni Ackerman (Evita, Cats), Phillip Christian, Celia Schaeffer, Bob Ari, Gillien Goll and Michael McKenzie in a play that proves change may indeed be inevitable, but that doesn’t make it feel any less impossible.
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August 20, 2014
A pair of red boxing gloves may hold the key for solidifying Kari Floren’s sketchy play Voices of Swords, a work still struggling to find a clear voice in that hazy netherworld that lies somewhere between comedy and drama. Voices of Swords, on view at Walkerspace with a run time of a little over 100 minutes, attempts to mix the two tones while examining the changing relationship between aging parents and their adult children. Olivia (Loni Ackerman, giving the strongest and most consistent performance of the production), is a feisty and independent woman who has been hit with two major blows: the death of her husband and her own impending heart surgery. For once in her life she is frightened, and what she wants is for her son Kosey (Phillip Christian) to come and help care for her.
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August 25, 2014
Like an earnest Lifetime TV movie bleached of plot and tension, Voices of Swords is occasionally tolerable but mostly just talky. This is a play eager to chatter on about accepting yourself and others. Trouble is, all those speeches are at the expense of any real drama. The story starts with the daffy Alexis (Celia Schaefer, who has done better work elsewhere) arriving at the home of Olivia (Loni Ackerman), a stubborn retiree preparing to undergo surgery. Alexis, a personal organizer, has been hired by Kosey (Phillip Christian), Olivia’s son, to help his mother around the house. As expected, these two women with contrasting personalities soon find reasons to argue, then to make up, then to become entangled in each other’s personal lives. Though a far-fetched secret comes to light and some suppressed emotions are eventually voiced, cliché is always close by.
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