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"Wood in Lost Nation's Syringa Tree is Storytelling at its Best"

September 20, 2016
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Article published Sep 18, 2016
reprinted with permission


Theater Review: Six-year-old girl takes on apartheid
By Jim Lowe

Staff Writer
There’s one word to describe Courtney Wood’s performance in “The Syringa Tree”: riveting.

Lost Nation Theater opened its production of Pamela Gein’s autobiographical solo show about growing up in South Africa during the turbulent beginning of the end of apartheid Friday at Montpelier City Hall Arts Center. Wood had the audience laughing, crying, cringing on the edge of their seats, and rejoicing with the young Elizabeth.

In “The Syringa Tree,” 6-year-old Elizabeth tells her story. It’s not a story about apartheid, but rather her observations about her life immediately before the explosion that would end white rule in South Africa. Rather than a political discussion of issues, they are laid bare through the innocent eyes of a child.  

Elizabeth is the daughter of enlightened parents, a white Jewish-atheist doctor and a “lapsed Catholic” mother, living an upper middle class existence. She is most attached to her nanny, and Elizabeth witnesses the birth of her daughter in the family home — as well as her death from a policeman’s bullet, much later. 

The beginning of the story is full of domestic bliss and squabbles. But throughout, a subtle, darker vein emerges. But Elizabeth remains herself, naïve and genuine. And that’s what makes this show so entertaining and powerful — it’s real.  

Wood, who first took on Elizabeth several years ago as her college senior theater project, proved a virtuoso actor, not just for her convincing and dimensional portrayal of Elizabeth, but also for her nearly seamless performance as some 20 other characters. Wood was most comfortable as Elizabeth, but the others were well delineated.

But this is all about Elizabeth, and Wood’s Elizabeth is irresistible. Not only does this 26-year-old actress capture the young girl’s innocence, she delivers it so well that it is both very funny and deeply moving, and Wood is nearly forgotten. It’s nearly impossible not to feel with Wood’s Elizabeth.

Friday’s opening night performance was consistently fascinating, save for a little lagging toward the end. Despite a tendency toward over-literalness in the lighting and sound, the production, directed by Kim Bent, Lost Nation’s founding artistic director, was a polished one. Dan Corrigan’s swing set (from Wood’s college production) was simple and perfect, augmented by Thomas Gunn’s lighting and Whiney Chilton’s costume.

Wood in Lost Nation’s “The Syringa Tree” is storytelling at its best.

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