On Friday, Nov. 7, critically acclaimed monologist Deborah Lubar put on her one-woman drama, “If You Were Really There” at the Town Hall Theater (THT). The full-length show, running nearly two and a half hours, was Lubar’s first in 25 years, she said in an interview with Zach Shivers, box office manager at THT.
Despite her hiatus, Lubar has had a long and successful career as a playwright, actress and professor. She toured the country, taught theater at both Smith College and Oberlin College, and has written both novels and plays. Her return to the stage was urged on by her longtime director Marianne Lust, after Lubar, believing the show was not yet ready, cancelled previously scheduled performance dates.
While the show was intended as a celebration of aging women, it was also a “love letter” to Lubar’s most fervent fans. Each performance was sold-out, attracting an audience of both theater and Lubar aficionados from across the region.
The play’s protagonist is a fictional character named Pearl, inspired by actress Judith Malina. Other characters are based on other inspiring women that Lubar has encountered throughout her life.
Although Lubar had begun work on the play eight years prior, more intense rehearsals began three months ago. In her interview with the THT, Lubar shared that she majorly reworked the show when U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to office.
“I just had to go, okay, what is our world now, and what are we going to need? How do I reflect that question in this play?” Lubar said in her interview with Shivers, which has been posted on the THT website. “There are as many answers as there are human beings in this world, there is no one answer, God forbid. The question is renewed every day, and it’s not the entire basis for the play, but it’s the background for it.”
Lust, respecting Lubar’s role as a talented playwright, offered acting advice and support without changing the script.
Writing and memorizing a one-woman show is grueling, according to Lust. Every day, Lubar ran through all of her lines to maintain her memory, a process that has gotten more difficult with age. But Lubar has taken it in stride and stepped forward to deliver a stunning performance.
“I think people will be talking about this for time to come,” Lisa Mitchell, executive and artistic director of the THT, said.
The audience for both evenings was the best an actor could hope for, one Lust described as “attentive,” holding on to Lubar’s every word.
“It was sheer pleasure, delight, and awe,” Lust added.
Lubar’s company, Theater Group Ltd, is one of 12 companies in residence at the THT. Each year, the THT manages over 165 events, making it the “Lincoln Center” of small-town Vermont. The theater has a good relationship with the college, setting up a program that allows students to access free tickets and encourages them to venture off campus to enjoy the performing arts. It unveiled its new wing this past summer, expanding the space for additional programming beyond weekly shows.
“It’s a wonderful theater to work in,” Lust said. “You feel welcomed.”
Looking forward, Lubar and Lust are considering bringing “If You Were Really There” to other theaters. Because of the grueling rehearsal process, Lust said, dates are still tentative. The play may be featured at Dartmouth College, but for now, Lubar and Lust are enjoying the aftermath of a successful return to the spotlight.
