Anna Mintzer and Emily Abeles (all photos by Berrie Tsang)
The Sierra Madre Playhouse in Sierra Madre is presenting the World Premiere of a new musical, The Right Is Ours! through October 8. The script by Lloyd J. Schwartz looks at the 50-year friendship of pioneering women’s rights advocates Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Emily Abeles) and Susan B. Anthony (Anna Mintzer). The married Stanton was an abolitionist and convened the first convention for Women’s Rights at Seneca Falls, NY in 1848 where she published her Declaration of Sentiments. Quaker and life-long spinster Anthony was an abolitionist and also campaigned for temperance. The two met in 1851 and soon formed a partnership advocating for women’s rights, but most especially for the right to vote. They formed various organizations over the years to attempt to accomplish their goals. They published the first women’s newspaper, The Revolution, and when their benefactor ran off to Europe, they were left to pay off $19,000 in debt. They did this by Stanton’s writings and Anthony’s speaking tours. Anthony was arrested in 1872 for voting and her trial garnered national attention. Stanton also managed to raise seven children. Neither lived long enough to see the 19th Amendment give women the right to vote in 1920.
Emily Abeles and Anna Mintzer
That is a lot of history and story to tell in 90 minutes and also fit in 20 songs. Schwartz’s book comes off as a cut down CliffsNotes version of the lives of these famous women. He may be better off just taking an incident or two to highlight their friendship and accomplishments. There are plenty to pick from. His direction keeps the action moving but basically just moves the actors around the bare stage. The technical aspects of the production are neglible–no sets, not much in the way of lighting effects, very random use of projections. Vicki Conrad’s period costumes are the show’s main asset. Thankfully the leading ladies are able to carry the show with the aid of three Suffragists (Paige Berkovitz, Carlin Castellano and Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield).
Paige Berkovitz, Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield and Carlin Castellano
Adryan Russ wrote the lyrics and music for the songs. Most are quite short, seemingly barely a minute. They don’t add much to the development of the story but then they don’t take up much time. There are a few standout numbers. The opening “Seneca Falls” is lively and gives Kay Cole a chance to add some choreography to the show. “Be A Friend” and “Family” are lovely ballads for the two newly minted friends to share and “Bloomers” gives the cast a chance to have some fun along with a costume change. Schofield gets to deliver the impassioned “Ain’t I A Woman?” The prerecorded music all starts to sound alike after 90 minutes of hearing it. The creators have their hearts in the right place in wanting to tell this story, they just need to refine the result. The Right Is Ours! needs a lot of work before it earns my whole-hearted vote.
http://sierramadreplayhouse.org