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Emily Dickinson may have been spare with her words, but playwright William Luce gives the much-admired poet plenty to say for herself in his play, The Belle of Amherst--in fact, it's a one-woman show.
This thoughtful reminiscence based on Dickinson's life plays at the Pear Avenue Theatre in Mountain View April 29-May 8.
On a quiet day in 1884, late in Dickinson's life, the play "visits" the poet at her family home in Amherst, Mass., where she has lived much of her life. The famously reclusive Dickinson speaks to the audience on subjects that are still widely debated by Dickinson scholars.
From Dickinson's passionate love of literature to her deep affection for humanity, to her relationships with family members and fellow literary folk, Luce uses many of Dickinson's own words to paint an intimate portrait of a very private person, weaving in Dickinson's verses throughout the play and also drawing inspiration from her letters, some of which are also quoted in the play.
Though Dickinson's works are now widely read and studied, only about seven of her poems were published in her lifetime. Luce explores the poet's opinion of her own work and how it was received by others, and suggests that as shy and withdrawn as Dickinson is thought to have been, she certainly was no shrinking violet.
Pear Avenue Theatre artistic director Diane Tasca plays Emily Dickinson and Jim Gunn directs.
Pear Avenue Theatre presents 'The Belle of Amherst' April 29-May 8 at 1220 Pear Ave., Unit K, Mountain View. Tickets are $15-$25. 650.254.1148 or www.thepear.org.
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