Home
The glow of the Christmas lights in Lockerbie, Scotland were outshone by the blazing fireball that was Pan Am Flight 103 December 21, 1988. As the plane crashed into the hills, all 259 passengers, in addition to 11 victims on the ground, died in one of the worst aviation disasters of all time. Heritage’s junior-senior play “The Women of Lockerbie” tells the tragic tale of the women of the small Scottish town who strove to heal their emotional wounds from the disaster and the story of a grief-stricken mother searching for closure among the rolling hills.
Written by Deborah Brevoort in the form of a modern Greek tragedy, the play follows four women from Lockerbie as they try to obtain from the US government the 11,000 articles of clothing that once belonged to the victims. In an attempt to overcome the hate-inspired incident, the women create a plan to wash the clothes and return them to families. A couple from New Jersey also seeks to heal the wounds caused by the bombing, as mother Madeline Livingston frantically searches the land for the remains of her son, which were never found. As her grief is rubbed more raw with each minute of the search, she slowly loses her sanity as she desperately looks for answers she fear will never be found.
Outstanding talent and raw emotion truly brought this play to life in the small Studio Theatre in the Fine Arts building. The cast of seven students delivered emotional monologues about sensitive topics. Juniors Carolina Perez (Madeline Livingston) and Christian Thompson (Bill Livingston) had believable and palpable chemistry, particularly in their final scene, in which they find the suitcase of their late son. Both performers delivered outstanding monologues as they expressed the devastating grief experienced at the loss of a child.
Senior Katrina Kiss also gave an incredible performance as Olive Allison. Her conviction, displayed through her wide stance and powerful deliverance, created a woman determined not to let hate triumph in her home town of Lockerbie. As the show progresses, however, the audience sees her gradually lose control over her own hatred. This control completely unravels in her intense, venom-filled monologue directed at Mrs. Livingston.
Seniors Alexis Wilpon (Woman 1) and Ilana Weinstein (Woman 2) worked beautifully in-sync with one another, creating a strong duo. Senior Adam Glickman (George Jones) also gave a touching performance. Watching his transformation from a stubborn American government employee to a truly compassionate man was incredibly moving and showed the extent to which tragedy can foster a sense of community. Senior Magen Young brought much-needed comic relief to the otherwise serious performance but was able to set the comedy aside when gravity was needed.
The talented juniors and seniors of the fine arts program presented a beautifully heart-wrenching story illustrating the awesome power of love to overcome the piercing effects of hatred in “The Women of Lockerbie.” As the cast took their bows, some for the last time at Heritage, the audience applauded with tear-filled eyes for this truly moving performance.
BLOGS
