“The Unfortunates” at the New York International Fringe Festival at Teatro Latea
“The Unfortunates” at the New York International Fringe Festival at Teatro Latea Written by Aoise Stratford Directed by Ryan Scott Whinnem Performed by Diana Cherkas Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13)
London’s Ten Bells Pub could be renamed “The Ten Bells Confessional.” On a cold night in November 1888, sex worker Mary Jane Kelly entered Ten Bells Pub and found no one in the usually crowded establishment except a man she had never met before and had never seen in the Whitechapel neighborhood. After trying her best to make some money (she was six weeks behind on her rent payments) by convincing the stranger to have a tryst or at least purchase a “Ripper keepsake,” Mary Jane settled in and shared her life’s story with the stranger from her birth in Limerick, Ireland to the present, including her witnessing the inquest of her dear friend Catherine Eddowes who had been murdered by Jack the Ripper in September 1888.
Mary Jane left Ten Bells (a bit tipsy) and was murdered in her home at 13 Miller’s Court by Jack the Ripper in the early morning hours of November 9, 1888. “Fair Emma” (as Mary Jane was also known) was believed to be the Ripper’s fifth and final victim. One wonders whether the gentleman she encountered in Ten Bells was her confessor or her murderer. After all, the man refused to take anything from Mary Jane: after hearing her story about Catherine’s inquest, he left her with Catherine’s bloody bonnet ribbon and gave her the gifts of non-judgmental and unconditional love. All for a copper left on the bar. Or was that man the Ripper confirming Mary Jane was Catherine’s friend and following her out of the pub to later murder her?
Diana Cherkas leaves no part of Mary Kelly’s core concealed. Ms. Cherkas’ performance is pure authenticity and honed honesty. This is an actor who knows her craft and knows how to engage an audience. She knows how to be vulnerable and how to build suspense. She is transparent when necessary and steely when her character needs a retreat into sanctuary. Under Ryan Scott Whinnem’s meticulous direction, Ms. Cherkas moves from one story to another, culminating in the chilling scene at Catherine Eddowes inquest.
Mary Jane Kelly was one of London’s “Unfortunates.” Poverty and lack of social capital left many young women (and probably as many young men) no choice but to become sex workers. Mary’s mantra, “You never know what’s coming,” remains the mantra of today’s unfortunates who, despite sharing their stories with confessor after confessor, often end up victims of abuse or even death. Aoise Stratford’s script confronts the audience with the question: who are today’s “Unfortunates” scrambling to survive on the world’s underbelly of “financial recovery?”
“You never know what’s coming.”
THE UNFORTUNATES
“The Unfortunates” is presented by The New York International Fringe Festival and Vertical Tasting Productions at Teatro LATEA, 107 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor (Rivington and Delancey).
All performances of “The Unfortunates” take place at on the following schedule: Thursday August 22nd at 9:00 p.m.; and Saturday August 24th at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $18.00 at the door and $15.00 for advance purchase. The running time is 1 hour and 25 minutes. For more information about the show and the cast and creative team, please visit www.vertical-tasting.com For more information about the 17th Annual New York Fringe Festival visit www.FringeNYC.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, August 21, 2013
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