Early next month, Livingston’s Blue Slipper Theatre will play host to a special run of Mary Page Marlowe, by Tony and Pulitzer-winning playwright Tracy Letts. Performances are set for May 5th–7th and 11th–14th. Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows will begin at 8pm, with Sunday matinees to follow at 3pm.
Known for his complex portrayals of the human psyche, Letts expands what at first appears to be an intimate snapshot of one woman’s ordinary life into a sweeping portrait chronicling seven decades, with five actresses playing the title role. In a series of elegant, nonchronological scenes, the play hopscotches through Mary Page Marlowe’s quiet existence as an accountant from Ohio – complicating notions of what it means to lead a “simple life.” The show beautifully captures the fragility of life and the moments we tend to ignore as pointless, only to look back and understand how they affected our choices and life trajectory.
Bozeman actress, director and producer Cara Wilder directs a cast of 18 actors from Bozeman and Livingston. Wilder produced and acted in Letts’ August: Osage County a decade ago, and will also be playing Mary in two scenes. Other actresses playing Mary in various stages of life are Jenna Ciralli, Mary Orr, Meriweather Campbell and Jessica Lee. Rounding out the large cast are Daniel Erickson, Marc Beaudin, Lou Morris, John Henry Haseltine, Carolyn Peavy, Immanuela Meijer, Emily Jones, Beau Linnell, BB Webb, Lisa Garcia, Isabel Huston, Emma Huston and Finn Johnson.
Mary Page Marlowe premiered in 2016 at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company, followed by an off-Broadway run in 2018.
The New York Times called the play, “Exquisite… Beautiful and affecting, like flipping through a friend’s photo album in no particular order…” while The Wall Street Journal noted, “Tracy Letts is a poet of the ordinary, a playwright who writes about commonplace lives in uncommon ways… Mary Page Marlowe is the most purely beautiful play that Mr. Letts has given us.”
Tickets for Mary Page Marlowe are available at www.blueslipper.org. Seating at the Blue Slipper, located at 113 E Callender St, is limited. This production is recommended for ages 15+. Please call (406) 222-7720 for more information. •
