Published: November 15, 2008 09:04 pm            

‘Cover of Life’ funny, but also tragic

“The Cover of Life” at Town and Gown may break your heart.

The play, which opened Thursday, centers around three women who move in with their mother-in-law while their husbands — three of the Cliffert brothers — are off fighting World War II.

When the New Orleans Times-Picayune picks up a local reporter’s story about the three women, Harry Luce, publisher of Life magazine, spots it and sends a reporter, Kate Miller, down to Louisiana to talk to Tood, Sybil, Weetsie and their mother-in-law, Aunt Ola.

Kate gets more than she bargained for, and so does the audience as they get to know the women through their interactions with each other and with Kate and through their letters to and from their husbands.

Charissa Prchal shines as Tood, the sister-in-law who wants more out of life than the Cliffert Brothers Bait and Tackle Shop.

With her every step of the way are Ty Reitan as Sybil, who hides her pain with fast living; Sarah Phillips as Weetsie, who puts family above all; Cindy Sheets as Aunt Ola, who seems to want her daughters-in-law to have happier lives than hers turned out to be; and Bonnie Ann Cain-Wood as Kate, who learns as much from Tood as she teaches her.

The women seem to love each other, but their dreams often conflict with each other — and with the dreams of their husbands.

The play starts off humorously and there is humor throughout it, but, as with real life, there’s also plenty of sadness, and just when you think you’ve figured out where the worst will come from, it hits you from another direction.

Kevin Worley wrote in the program that he originally didn’t want to direct this play, but somehow couldn’t avoid it. Whether he chose the play or it chose him, he and the cast have done well with “The Cover of Life.”

The play continues today at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Another 2:30 p.m. matinee will be Nov. 23. The box office can be reached at 372-9122.

        

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