Marcia rates it:
Susan Austin Roth has written a play that is so powerful it may take your breath away. From the opening scene where we see Andy Armand, superbly acted by Joe Peck, looking for his buddy’s name on ‘The Wall’, Ms. Roth lets us know that this will not be an easy play to watch. Yet from this moment we are engaged, and she does not let us loose until the final line is spoken.
There is nothing superfluous here, every character adds a necessary element. In the three smaller roles, first, Roger Payano, as Andy’s buddy Ace, who looms over Andy both physically and emotionally throughout the play; he is the torment Andy cannot face but will not let go of. Second, Christopher Guy Thorn, as Pierre, another presence, not see by anyone but George, who will carry his memory forever as a result of their childhood bond and how that was broken. And finally, Tosia Shall, as Ludmilla, George’s Polish caretaker, who adds the perfect comic foil to an increasingly sad and difficult situation in her ability to go along with whatever George needs at the moment.
Robert Leembruggen as George Armand, the patriarch, is unrelenting as he reels from clarity into dementia, and back again. We get to know this man, his tenderness when he dances with his daughter, thinking she is his dead wife, and his bitterness toward his son, fueled by his own obstinate refusal to listen and recognize how very similar their experiences have been.
Lynn-Jane Foreman shines as Charlotte Armand, the perfect daughter trying to be everything to everyone at the cost of her own life and health. In desperation she tries to convince Andy how critical it is that he stay and make peace with their father. She reminds him there is no one but he who can help her. There are, she says, many “people who feel free to criticize, but they never offer help.”
Charlotte’s compassion for her father and brother is unabashed. In fact, her concern for her father’s deteriorating mental state has reached the point where she has convinced him he is staying at a vacation resort. She does not want him to know he is actually in a “home”, because he now requires more care than she can provide. Andy has returned at Charlotte’s request but she would like to understand why he is so tormented, what happened to him in Viet Nam.
Both George and Andy have war demons they have kept hidden in an effort to forget, yet by never facing them, they are both scarred; maybe beyond recovery. When Andy finally tells Charlotte why he went AWOL, how the chain of command had failed in Viet Nam, it is a revelation he does not want to share, but in doing so it helps them both more clearly understand their father’s secret, when they uncover his missing pages.
The end of this play will surprise and haunt you – it is a reminder that war, any war, is hell. This play is drama at it’s very best. Do yourself a favor; see this show.
Missing Pages 
By Susan Austin Roth
Directed by Diana Denley
Production team: Courtney Leigh Wood, Ann Grey, Alejandra Maudet, Christine Ryan
Reviewed by Marcia Kirtland
I was part of the informal “Fan Club” that came especially to see our friend Lynn-Jane perform in Missing Pages. We all expected it to be good, but we were just blown away by just how damn good this play is. Very hot stuffy “theatre” space, very bare-bones, hard seating, and besides which our friend Lynn-Jane is performing in an arm cast, having fallen & injured herself on opening night! All of that aside, all of us got completely caught up in the play, forgetting any discomfort, forgetting Lynn-Jane was wearing a cast–the play, the production, the actors were all that good.
Brilliant–and we’re all looking forward to seeing this cast perform again in Missing Pages, in perhaps a slightly more upscale theatre space. Kudos to everyone, cast and crew, to Susan Austin Roth & the director Diana Denley. Oh and to the folks who brought in electric fans for the actors!
I’ve seen this piece twice now and the story, the emotion, the feelings were just as poignant the second time as it was the first. Theater goers everywhere deserve a chance to see this play. It’s a smartly written story that is relevant on so many different levels. Do not miss an opportunity to see this play!
Anyone who has delt with a difficult relationship will identify with the stress and pain explored in Missing Pages. Eyes watered and gut tighted as I identified with, not war, but the human struggles, triumphs and humor on stage. Well done.
A very powerful story, well directed, about the futility of war!
Potent, powerful, topical…theater at it’s best, and by far the best of Fringe this year.
I saw twelve shows at the Fringe, and this was surely the best. Even though the storyline is not entirely unpredictable, it takes you on the journey so masterfully that it didn’t matter a bit. Familiar themes: war is hell, children end up taking care of their parents, and holding onto secrets isn’t generally healthy. But these are stories worth repeating. As a daughter who has been in the caretaker role, I was particularly moved by Ms. Foreman’s performance — she was completely convincing as Charlotte despite having suffered a broken arm and a concussion on opening day.
I am a regular theatre-goer, and I really hope this one gets picked up by one of the more mainstream theatres in our area for a longer run. It deserves to be seen by more audiences and in a space more fitting for the quality of the ensemble.
A wonderful play….well written and superbly acted.
“Missing Pages” is enthralling.
Missing Pages is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.
If you only have time to do one more “Fringe”, make sure it’s Missing Pages.