Review: Love, Loss and What I Wore

by Doreen Binder

If you are looking for a great evening out with a group of girlfriends, the stage play Love, Loss and What I Wore is just the ticket. The play opened last Wednesday evening at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto. Based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, sisters Nora and Delia Ephron brought to life this collection of stories in a delightful and charming way. 

As with its sister productions in New York and LA, a rotating cast of actors deliver the touching and funny vignettes. The current cast, appearing until August 7th, includes Louise Pitre (Mama Mia!), Mary Walsh of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, the very funny Andrea Martin, Sharron Matthews (voted 2009 “Best Cabaret Performer” by Now Magazine), and Paula Brancati (Degrassi: The Next Generation, Being Erica). Subsequent casts include Cynthia Dale and Margot Kidder. 

In the role of narrator, Louise Pitre winds her way through Beckerman’s life, linking memories to various pieces of clothing. Interspersed with the narration, the remainder of the cast’s monologues and dialogues round out the recollections. Some moments are pure humour, such as Andrea Martin’s take on the much-coveted Kelly Bag. But the play is not afraid to equally address some of the grittier parts of life, as when Paula Brancati’s character in her miniskirt and boots has a dark experience, or when Mary Walsh’s character visits her boyfriend in prison in a strategic outfit. Sharron Matthews’ character expresses her dissatisfaction with her body in a very real and honest way. 

Staged as a reading, props are minimal, other than the child-like drawings which so beautifully illustrated the book. An interesting concept when most often the visual appeal of clothes and accessories drive our choices. But the lack of props gives the audience room to travel through our own minds, conjuring up images of our favourite pair of boots or ghastly prom dress. 

Waking out of the theatre, my friend Pat and I laughed about paper dresses and some of the styles we used to wear. That is why this play works so well: We can relate to the clothes, to the stories, and to the memories of what we wore.