THEATRE
The Memory of Water 
Presented by
Dragon Productions Theatre Company
at
Dragon Theatre
August 21-September 13, 2009
Avg. Event Rating (4.6 Stars):
Add Review/Comment
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It’s remembering which helps three sisters survive the despair of losing their mother and come to terms with their own lives. From start to finish The Memory of Water is a whirl-wind of emotions, bouncing from hilarious hysterics to twisting sorrow and pain. In the end, it’s very simple: sometimes a good laugh, a good cry and a good hug are the best therapy.
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At-a-
Glance
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Venue Info
Dragon Theatre
535 Alma Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Full map and directions
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Admission Info
Tickets: $15-$25
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Dates & Times
Dates:
August 21-September 13, 2009
Times:
Thurs-Sat: 8pm
Sun: 2pm
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Accessibility Info
Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.
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Member Reviews
Add review/comment
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Personally affecting... Roiling memories"
Review
posted by:
Tony
from Cupertino, CA,
Sep 09, 2009
I'm glad we got to see the current play at Dragon. My date was quite taken by it. Before it started she had asked to go home right after but, obviously, she got caught up in it as she remained for...
Expand
I'm glad we got to see the current play at Dragon. My date was quite taken by it. Before it started she had asked to go home right after but, obviously, she got caught up in it as she remained for the Q&A with the cast, which she passionately participated in, despite a froggy throat. Her own mother, of whom she saw very little as a child, died five years ago. On Friday, just days before seeing the play, she had a phone conversation with an aunt, to whom she hadn't spoken in years, and found out a lot about her mother that she hadn't known before. The wounds were fresh for the show. I believe it was somewhat therapeutic and cathartic for her. Though she refused to characterize it as a comedy, since she was overwhelmed by the pain of it all, she did laugh (apparently in recognition) throughout. The Memory of Water stirred up memories...
Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Funny, insightful, well done"
Review
posted by:
Sharon
from Palo Alto, CA,
Sep 06, 2009
We enjoyed Shelagh Stephenson's play tremendously.
It's intelligently written, well-directed and superbly
acted. Three sisters and their newly departed mother
take center stage in an intimate...
Expand
We enjoyed Shelagh Stephenson's play tremendously.
It's intelligently written, well-directed and superbly
acted. Three sisters and their newly departed mother
take center stage in an intimate story of relationship
and memory.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Happy Accidents"
Review
posted by:
Caroline
from Mountain View, CA,
Sep 03, 2009
The chief distinction between theatre and movies is that anything can go wrong in a live performance. And when something invariably does go wrong, the audience takes joy in witnessing how the actors...
Expand
The chief distinction between theatre and movies is that anything can go wrong in a live performance. And when something invariably does go wrong, the audience takes joy in witnessing how the actors deal with it. Do they ignore it and pretend it never happened, or do they acknowledge the gaffe and somehow make it work. Much to our delight, it was the latter at last Saturday's The Memory of Water, in which an actor spilled (or should I say "showered") the stage and front row with (coincidently enough) water from his glass while raising it to make a toast. What could have been disastrous with a less experienced cast got spun into comic gold. Hilarity ensued as the cast improvised around it, all the while in character, until finally the play got back on track. Most impressive. These actors are real pros.
Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Our first time at Dragon Theatre... and not our last!"
Review
posted by:
Dorothy
from Menlo Park, CA,
Aug 29, 2009
My friend and I had a wonderful time last night watching the play. It was a provocative, confrontive and psychologically challenging production. The acting was excellent...all, according to their...
Expand
My friend and I had a wonderful time last night watching the play. It was a provocative, confrontive and psychologically challenging production. The acting was excellent...all, according to their characters, carried and conveyed the complex intensity of the story. There was no escape into "niceness"... they all sustained the momentum of discomfort with amazing energy. It was an evening filled with material to reflect on in our lives!
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Blood is thickest..."
Review
posted by:
Mark
from Los Altos Hills, CA,
Aug 26, 2009
Three sisters fall neatly into pre-formed categories. Teresa (Laura Jane Bailey), the eldest, is the practical, bossy one, who stayed home to take care of Mother and married a nice but boring man,...
Expand
Three sisters fall neatly into pre-formed categories. Teresa (Laura Jane Bailey), the eldest, is the practical, bossy one, who stayed home to take care of Mother and married a nice but boring man, Frank (played by the not-so-boring Noel Wood). Mary(Meredith Hagedorn), the doctor, has a worldly arrogance and a married lover, Mike (Patrick Borella). Catherine (Janine Evans), the baby, is a street-savvy, promiscuous drifter.
The sisters carp at and blame each other in dialogue that exists somewhere between situation and drawing-room comedies. It's funny, and the actresses delivering it transcend a sense of deft mechanical banter to suggest the biological bonds of sisterhood. You keep watching them react to, lie to, and reach out to each other. Amidst the chaos of three (and possibly four?) competing interests, a profound compassion emerges which unites them as quickly as a family snapshot.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Absolutely wonderful!!"
Review
posted by:
Bob
from East Bay, CA,
Aug 24, 2009
You will not be sorry! It's a cliche to say you will laugh and you will cry...but you will. Do not miss this.
You will not be sorry! It's a cliche to say you will laugh and you will cry...but you will. Do not miss this.
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Raw and Powerful!"
Review
posted by:
PS
from Menlo Park,
Aug 24, 2009
This production is stunning in its emotionalism. Darkly humorous throughout, it builds to a searing climax. Laura Jane Bailey and Meredith Hagedorn both burn up the stage as the two older sisters....
Expand
This production is stunning in its emotionalism. Darkly humorous throughout, it builds to a searing climax. Laura Jane Bailey and Meredith Hagedorn both burn up the stage as the two older sisters. Special mention to the extremely effective lighting. Don't miss it!
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Don't bother seeing The Memory of Water"
Review
posted by:
Steven K
from Palo Alto, CA,
Aug 23, 2009
This production falls short in many ways. The direction was poor, the actors did little more than read their lines, and the high-stakes content of the play is ignored in the execution. This is a...
Expand
This production falls short in many ways. The direction was poor, the actors did little more than read their lines, and the high-stakes content of the play is ignored in the execution. This is a family drama, but the actors do little more than recite lines to each other. The actors cast as Mary and Mike are miscast as a couple. There's no chemistry between them, and Mike is played by someone way too young to be crazy about the 39-year-old brainy doctor, Mary. The only saving grace in this production is the work of actor Noel Wood as Frank. At least Noel played Frank with conviction, and he knows how to capture the humor of his character.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Intimate, insightful and touching"
Review
posted by:
Theresa
from San Mateo, CA,
Aug 22, 2009
I really enjoyed the intimate setting of this theater. I felt like I was in the same room with this family; a fly on the wall privy to painfully private moments between sisters and their significant...
Expand
I really enjoyed the intimate setting of this theater. I felt like I was in the same room with this family; a fly on the wall privy to painfully private moments between sisters and their significant others. The actors are outstanding. I forgot I was watching a play. I wish I'd brought Kleenex because I cried during the second act. I laughed a lot, too. A very emotional evening, and provocative. I went home and called my daughter.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Emotional heights under steady direction"
Review
posted by:
Monica
from Cupertino, CA,
Aug 22, 2009
OMG! They’re a messy lot, these sisters, and anyone who's ever grown up with sisters will know them all well. Watching them get to know each other in a new, more honest fashion ("Dying is a...
Expand
OMG! They’re a messy lot, these sisters, and anyone who's ever grown up with sisters will know them all well. Watching them get to know each other in a new, more honest fashion ("Dying is a depressing business") is the great pleasure of this play, which manages under Ana-Catrina Buchser's steady direction to be frenetic without being chaotic, sad without being maudlin, uplifting without being saccharine and funny without being... well, it's just funny. See it. Or your mother may haunt you...
Collapse
-
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Video
|
Images
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Member
Reviews
-
All Member Reviews
Add review/comment
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Personally affecting... Roiling memories"
Review
posted by:
Tony
from Cupertino, CA,
Sep 09, 2009
I'm glad we got to see the current play at Dragon. My date was quite taken by it. Before it started she had asked to go home right after but, obviously, she got caught up in it as she remained for...
Expand
I'm glad we got to see the current play at Dragon. My date was quite taken by it. Before it started she had asked to go home right after but, obviously, she got caught up in it as she remained for the Q&A with the cast, which she passionately participated in, despite a froggy throat. Her own mother, of whom she saw very little as a child, died five years ago. On Friday, just days before seeing the play, she had a phone conversation with an aunt, to whom she hadn't spoken in years, and found out a lot about her mother that she hadn't known before. The wounds were fresh for the show. I believe it was somewhat therapeutic and cathartic for her. Though she refused to characterize it as a comedy, since she was overwhelmed by the pain of it all, she did laugh (apparently in recognition) throughout. The Memory of Water stirred up memories...
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Funny, insightful, well done"
Review
posted by:
Sharon
from Palo Alto, CA,
Sep 06, 2009
We enjoyed Shelagh Stephenson's play tremendously.
It's intelligently written, well-directed and superbly
acted. Three sisters and their newly departed mother
take center stage in an intimate...
Expand
We enjoyed Shelagh Stephenson's play tremendously.
It's intelligently written, well-directed and superbly
acted. Three sisters and their newly departed mother
take center stage in an intimate story of relationship
and memory.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Happy Accidents"
Review
posted by:
Caroline
from Mountain View, CA,
Sep 03, 2009
The chief distinction between theatre and movies is that anything can go wrong in a live performance. And when something invariably does go wrong, the audience takes joy in witnessing how the actors...
Expand
The chief distinction between theatre and movies is that anything can go wrong in a live performance. And when something invariably does go wrong, the audience takes joy in witnessing how the actors deal with it. Do they ignore it and pretend it never happened, or do they acknowledge the gaffe and somehow make it work. Much to our delight, it was the latter at last Saturday's The Memory of Water, in which an actor spilled (or should I say "showered") the stage and front row with (coincidently enough) water from his glass while raising it to make a toast. What could have been disastrous with a less experienced cast got spun into comic gold. Hilarity ensued as the cast improvised around it, all the while in character, until finally the play got back on track. Most impressive. These actors are real pros.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Our first time at Dragon Theatre... and not our last!"
Review
posted by:
Dorothy
from Menlo Park, CA,
Aug 29, 2009
My friend and I had a wonderful time last night watching the play. It was a provocative, confrontive and psychologically challenging production. The acting was excellent...all, according to their...
Expand
My friend and I had a wonderful time last night watching the play. It was a provocative, confrontive and psychologically challenging production. The acting was excellent...all, according to their characters, carried and conveyed the complex intensity of the story. There was no escape into "niceness"... they all sustained the momentum of discomfort with amazing energy. It was an evening filled with material to reflect on in our lives!
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Blood is thickest..."
Review
posted by:
Mark
from Los Altos Hills, CA,
Aug 26, 2009
Three sisters fall neatly into pre-formed categories. Teresa (Laura Jane Bailey), the eldest, is the practical, bossy one, who stayed home to take care of Mother and married a nice but boring man,...
Expand
Three sisters fall neatly into pre-formed categories. Teresa (Laura Jane Bailey), the eldest, is the practical, bossy one, who stayed home to take care of Mother and married a nice but boring man, Frank (played by the not-so-boring Noel Wood). Mary(Meredith Hagedorn), the doctor, has a worldly arrogance and a married lover, Mike (Patrick Borella). Catherine (Janine Evans), the baby, is a street-savvy, promiscuous drifter.
The sisters carp at and blame each other in dialogue that exists somewhere between situation and drawing-room comedies. It's funny, and the actresses delivering it transcend a sense of deft mechanical banter to suggest the biological bonds of sisterhood. You keep watching them react to, lie to, and reach out to each other. Amidst the chaos of three (and possibly four?) competing interests, a profound compassion emerges which unites them as quickly as a family snapshot.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Absolutely wonderful!!"
Review
posted by:
Bob
from East Bay, CA,
Aug 24, 2009
You will not be sorry! It's a cliche to say you will laugh and you will cry...but you will. Do not miss this.
You will not be sorry! It's a cliche to say you will laugh and you will cry...but you will. Do not miss this.
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Raw and Powerful!"
Review
posted by:
PS
from Menlo Park,
Aug 24, 2009
This production is stunning in its emotionalism. Darkly humorous throughout, it builds to a searing climax. Laura Jane Bailey and Meredith Hagedorn both burn up the stage as the two older sisters....
Expand
This production is stunning in its emotionalism. Darkly humorous throughout, it builds to a searing climax. Laura Jane Bailey and Meredith Hagedorn both burn up the stage as the two older sisters. Special mention to the extremely effective lighting. Don't miss it!
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Don't bother seeing The Memory of Water"
Review
posted by:
Steven K
from Palo Alto, CA,
Aug 23, 2009
This production falls short in many ways. The direction was poor, the actors did little more than read their lines, and the high-stakes content of the play is ignored in the execution. This is a...
Expand
This production falls short in many ways. The direction was poor, the actors did little more than read their lines, and the high-stakes content of the play is ignored in the execution. This is a family drama, but the actors do little more than recite lines to each other. The actors cast as Mary and Mike are miscast as a couple. There's no chemistry between them, and Mike is played by someone way too young to be crazy about the 39-year-old brainy doctor, Mary. The only saving grace in this production is the work of actor Noel Wood as Frank. At least Noel played Frank with conviction, and he knows how to capture the humor of his character.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Intimate, insightful and touching"
Review
posted by:
Theresa
from San Mateo, CA,
Aug 22, 2009
I really enjoyed the intimate setting of this theater. I felt like I was in the same room with this family; a fly on the wall privy to painfully private moments between sisters and their significant...
Expand
I really enjoyed the intimate setting of this theater. I felt like I was in the same room with this family; a fly on the wall privy to painfully private moments between sisters and their significant others. The actors are outstanding. I forgot I was watching a play. I wish I'd brought Kleenex because I cried during the second act. I laughed a lot, too. A very emotional evening, and provocative. I went home and called my daughter.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Emotional heights under steady direction"
Review
posted by:
Monica
from Cupertino, CA,
Aug 22, 2009
OMG! They’re a messy lot, these sisters, and anyone who's ever grown up with sisters will know them all well. Watching them get to know each other in a new, more honest fashion ("Dying is a...
Expand
OMG! They’re a messy lot, these sisters, and anyone who's ever grown up with sisters will know them all well. Watching them get to know each other in a new, more honest fashion ("Dying is a depressing business") is the great pleasure of this play, which manages under Ana-Catrina Buchser's steady direction to be frenetic without being chaotic, sad without being maudlin, uplifting without being saccharine and funny without being... well, it's just funny. See it. Or your mother may haunt you...
Collapse
-
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