Local playwright Hannah Moscovitch takes viewers on an emotional journey back to the 1920s, where they learn of the startling challenges faced by women in this time. Based on real letters from women to birth-control advocate Dr. Marie Stopes, the play explores the issues of abortion, pregnancy, and sex, post-First World War era.
The story is set in Ottawa and follows the life of Sophie (Liisa Repo-Martell), her husband Johnny (David Patrick Flemming), and her sister Alma (Rebecca Parent). Sophie and Alma explore their respective sexual desires, and soon come to face the sobering reality of pregnancy and its consequences. The two actresses convey a very convincing narrative of the struggles women must have faced in the 1920s. Through the characters, the audience is able to really understand the severity of this issue.
What makes this play captivating from start to finish is how the story is told. Sophie speaks to the audience throughout the play, engaging them with her haunting monologues. On top of the stunningly morbid look inside the mind of the heroine, the transitions from monologue to action are seamless. She and her husband, Johnny, and their kids are poor. Sophie does not want more children, but the only method of prevention is to be abstinent. This causes problems in their marriage, and eventually Sophie is faced with a grave decision.
Unlike other period pieces, this production doesn’t require extravagant lighting, boisterous sound design, and busy sets to entertain. It just requires a stage, three actors, and your attention. What makes it so engaging is Repo-Martell’s gratifying portrayal of a 1920s wife, and the story itself. For 75- minutes, the audience was drawn into Sophie’s world. Funny, truthful, and captivating, Repo-Martell allows the viewer to truly understand the emotions these women must have felt.
Although the topic is serious, Moscovitch manages to effectively blend in elements of comedy, causing the audience to both laugh and cry. Sombre topics are given comic relief and the transitions from satire to trauma are smooth.
This play gives an important look into a social issue that takes place not just in the 1920s, but in the world today. It tells the woman’s side of this problem and connects women in the past and present. The topic of abortion is still being widely discussed, and it is interesting to draw parallels between the struggles of the 1920s and those of the 21st- century. This play may be set a hundred years back, but it makes the viewer think of the present-day controversies surrounding reproductive rights and contraception. Women in Canada may have better and safer options. However, women around the world are still faced with the same dilemma Sophie must conquer in the play.
Remembering that this is inspired by true stories makes it all the more memorable.
