Solo performances like this come few and far between. What you have here is a psychobiography of renowned early 20th century writer, Katherine Mansfield (1888 – 1923), completely embodied by a single actress on stage. Skillfully weaving the plot of the writer’s life though personally written stories, letters and journals, Catherine Downes—director, playwright and actress—almost effortlessly brings the character to life. She has toured the world with it and performed it more than 1,000 times.)
The play takes off with a poignant recital of Manfield’s last writings. After a brief introduction of the title characters’ life, Downes immediately slips into character in a potent monologue of her journals and letters. The frugality of the stage—just a chair and small coffee table—leaves audiences with mostly her to focus on.
Often humorous though the display of wit in her writings, the play largely bears witness to the last few years of Katherine Mansfield’s tragically short life and gives an intimate perspective into her psyche. Her written struggles with her husband’s absence, the reality of her sickness and ensuing thoughts of mortality are convincingly delivered in a manner that Downes has successfully honed though decades of similar performances. The play ends with a rather grim message—with talk of her having led a “typically false life”, rueing the contradictions in her behavior.
It’s easy to get drowned in all those words; serious focus is needed to keep up with a 75-minute monologue with no intermission. And with Downes interchanging between characters throughout the performance, you might find yourself wishing she’d slow down a little. But if you do stay on track, it’s a rewarding journey.
