“Have you ever been possessed by an all-consuming ambition, a single-minded determination, a dream to succeed where nothing else mattered? All your thoughts, energy and resources were focused on attaining that goal. Maybe it was success in sport, politics, business or the arts.”
For Gia (Annie Stafford), that dream is to perform Ophelia – again.
She did once, when she was sixteen, and ever since she has dedicated her entire being to the study of Shakespeare — and this role in particular. Now she is older, wiser, and her understanding more mature. She is one with the character, to an alarming degree. No one understands Ophelia’s character or condition as well as she does. For Gia, it is not about acting Ophelia — it is about being Ophelia.
No one else sees this affinity — not teachers, directors, or casting agents. Yes, she gets the occasional extra role in TV commercials for toilet cleaner and the like, which helps pay the rent and supplement her day job as — you guessed it — a waitress (funny because it’s true). But this is not the life she imagined, nor one she is prepared to settle for.
Her boyfriend, from a rich Italian family, tries to be understanding and patient. He wants to get married, settle down, and have children. Even if she wanted to, that is not a future Gia can embrace. She has a dark secret eating her up inside, and there is absolutely nothing she can do about it.
She is barren.
Themes & Metaphor
Grace Wilson’s superb, award-winning play presents Gia’s infertility as a metaphor for her “failure” — not only to achieve success as an actor, but in the eyes of her boyfriend, his mother (desperate to be a nonna), and society in general — as a woman.
With the diagnosis of infertility, we are shown a woman deprived of agency, with no say in her future.
Yet what strikes one most about this production is its surprising level of humour — dark humour, admittedly. With wit, verbal dexterity, and gimlet-eyed perception, Wilson dissects society’s — and the theatre world’s — hypocrisy and double standards regarding sexism and ageism.
Performance: Annie Stafford as Gia
Annie Stafford is a force to be reckoned with.
Solo performances are difficult at the best of times. Actors can sometimes run out of steam toward the end — but this performance is utterly riveting from start to finish. It never lets the audience go for a moment.
Stafford’s Gia hurtles through the gamut of emotions:
- Funny
- Introspective
- Scared
- Bitter
- Disappointed
- Humiliated
- Suicidal
Stafford gives everything — with power and authenticity. It is an exceptionally brave and generous performance.
Her Gia occupies the entire stage with manic energy: pacing, leaping, dancing, stretching, cowering. Her body pulsates with life, even as her internal organs are lifeless.
Direction & Production
There is perfect synergy between Stafford’s performance and Jo Bradley’s direction.
Bradley’s choices are polished, precise, and assured. She uses every available element with skill, never allowing the performance to slip into sentimentality or veer into slapstick.
She is ably supported by:
- A beautiful, nuanced lighting design by Holly Nesbitt
- Evocative sound design by Otto Zagala
Rarely has a production created “on the smell of an oily rag” achieved such controlled power.
Verdict
4.5 Stars
Now Playing
Gia Ophelia is playing at KXT on Broadway until Sunday 15th February — so don’t delay!
Revied by: Nick Bennett
Images by: Patrick Phillips, Robert Miniter, Robert Hoang