reviewVancouver

Pacific Theatre

LILIA!

Written and Performed by Libby Skala

Reviewer Ed Farolan

                                                                                     Libby Skala     

When her grandmother Lilia was about to die at the ripe old age of 98, her last dying wish to her granddaughter Libby was to have a part in a play she would eventually write. Lilia Skala died shortly after but her wish did come true in this play written and performed by her own granddaughter, Libby Skala.

Now an internationally-acclaimed, one-woman show, Lilia Skala comes to life again in her grand-daughter's deeply personal celebration of a life in the theatre.

The play depicts the Austrian stage actress fleeing the Nazis and finding herself working in a New York zipper factory before working her way back to theatre and film, and eventually being nominated as Best Supporting Actress in Lilies of the Field.

We listen in the dark at the start of the performance to an actual taped radio interview recording her reaction to her nomination in this film which won Sidney Poitier the Oscar for Best Actor in 1963. The funny thing was when the interview took place, she was working at her regular job in the Lost and Found Department of the City of New York.

All these events and more on Lilia Skala's life until the last days before she passes away are superbly dramatized by her granddaughter, now a fabulous thespian, lauded by critics all over North America for this solo performance. During the opening night performance, you could hear a pin drop during the dramatic pauses, which is undoubtedly a mark of great acting.

In her notes, Libby says that she listened for hours to her grandmother telling her remarkable stories of her life. As a teenager, she started studying acting, and her grandmother worked with her on different scenes and monologues, which she acts out in this one-woman show.

This is truly a great and moving play which was well-received by the opening night audience, and I highly recommend going to see it.

© 2006 Ed Farolan

LIBBY

SKALA

Performer Writer