THE BELLE OF AMHERST: EMILY DICKINSON AT THE ROEDDE HOUSE
by William Luce. Featuring Renée Bucciarelli, directed by Richard Newman. Feb. 19 - March 1
Multi-award-winning play about poet Emily Dickinson at Vancouver’s exquisite 19th century residence
If you missed catching a glimpse of the elusive 19thcentury legend in 2011 when she last visited the area, you'll want to see “Emily Dickinson” in The Belle of Amherst this February at the Roedde House in Vancouver. Written by William Luce, based on the writings of the superb, sparkling, and enigmatic poet Emily Dickinson, this multi-award-winning one-woman play was originally performed on Broadway in 1976 as a vehicle for 5-time Tony Award-winner Julie Harris. It received universal acclaim, and was hailed by theatre critic Rex Reed to be “an arresting, riveting experience unlike any I’ve known. An overwhelming, meticulous adventure full of passion and poetry and heart.” Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter, resurrected the role Off Broadway last fall; this production features Vancouver actress Renée Bucciarelli, whose portrayal of Emily Dickinson has previously garnered local acclaim, and whose work as a classical actress has enjoyed past praise from The New York Times.
The Roedde House Museum, home to Vancouver’s first bookbinder, provides an ideal period setting for Dickinson’s seemingly fathomless exploration of words, of a vibrantly-lived inner life, and of love. Costumed in her famous white dress (a historically accurate replica in this production), “Miss Dickinson” ventures out of her self-imposed seclusion to welcome audiences into the exquisitely-furnished Roedde parlour for a little tea, town gossip, and poetry—ultimately stealing hearts while inspiring belief in the redemptive act of creation.
Audience members of this intimate performance will find themselves transported back to an elegant time, in an ambience complete with Dickinson’s favourite music played on the parlour piano, tea served in china cups, and even Dickinson’s famous ‘black cake’. Sunday matinées will include post-performance talk-backs with Dickinson scholars Lynn Szabo (Feb. 22) and Judith Scholes (March 1).
Dickinson lived a life of intense passion, contemplation, and, in later years, reclusion. Of the nearly 1800 poems Emily Dickinson penned, only 7 were published in her lifetime. Early attempts at wider publication met with attempts by others to “correct” her writing and may have led to her withdrawal from society. She is now widely considered the co-founder of modern American poetry, along with Walt Whitman. She has inspired countless plays, novels, children’s books, contemporary poems, dances, performances, and artworks, as well as over 1,600 musical compositions, a Simon & Garfunkel song and, more recently, a chart-topping rock album by Italian singer/supermodel (and former French First Lady) Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Of Miss Dickinson’s boundless ability “to have made all things new” renown literary critic Harold Bloom has pronounced “The Myth”–as she was called in her time–an equal to Shakespeare.
“Solo performer Renée Bucciarelli shines…deftly captures Emily’s mischievous spirit…”
— Georgia Straight
“A poignant portrait of a self-confessed social maverick…The indefatigable Renée Bucciarelli will reward your assiduity with a compelling insight into the life of this recondite and mysterious woman.” – Review Vancouver
THE BELLE OF AMHERST: Starts Thursday, February 19 through March 1, 2015. Wednesday – Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm, at the Roedde House Museum, 1415 Barclay St., Vancouver, BC. Contact: 604 684-7040 [email protected] Tickets $25 at brownpapertickets.com or at the door – limited seating.
Website: www.fraj.com/belleofamherst
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