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| Maureen Mansfield as Emily Gorski (seated, center) seeks divine intervention to restore peace in her home. PHOTO: Jan Cartwright |
Interfaith marriage pulls on family ties in a
way that tests a couple’s commitment to one another. Sometimes the knot gets pulled even tighter
as the couple’s bond is strengthened. And
sometimes the ties are strained to the point of breaking. In Greetings!,
when Andy brings his Jewish atheist fiancé to meet his traditional Catholic
family on Christmas Eve, it’s a recipe for disaster … with hilarious and
poignant consequences.
In the Farmington Players production of Greetings!, Maureen Mansfield plays
Emily Gorski, Andy’s mother. Maureen can
definitely relate to the show’s theme of “marrying outside of your
religion. I did this. In my family, it wasn't as big of a deal as
it is in the show, probably because I had previously dated outside my faith,
but I can certainly relate.” Maureen
describes her character Emily as “a deeply religious wife and mother. She's not the brightest log in the fire, but
often has surprising insight. I really enjoy the comedy that comes from the
naivety of my character.” Maureen also
enjoys the “challenge of playing the submissive Catholic wife, a far stretch
from who I am. It's also a challenge for me to respond to my characters' family
in ways that I personally would not. For
instance, if my real life child was hurt, I would run to him, while my
character retreats.”
Maureen recalls watching another production of Greetings! and thinking she “had it all
figured out in the middle of the first act. It was going to be your typical,
lovely holiday show. At the end of the
act, all of a sudden I sat up and thought, ‘Wait, what just happened?’ I couldn't wait for intermission to be over
so I could see how it turned out! So
it's a lovely holiday show … with a twist!”
Maureen is originally from northwest Detroit and has lived
in Farmington HIlls for almost 30 years, including about 20 years as a member
of the Farmington Players. She calls the
Greetings! cast “one of the most
talented and thoughtful casts I have worked with. The amount of work each person is putting
into their character is awesome. And
it's all because of our incredible directorial team who is pushing us to be
better than we ever thought we could be!”
Greetings! has 10 performances at
Farmington Players Barn Theater from December 1 – 17, 2017. The show is proudly sponsored by Jill Jones
and Cadillac Travel. Author Tom Dudzick
also penned our successful production of Miracle
on South Division Street. Tickets
are available online at farmingtonplayers.org or by emailing
boxoffice@farmingtonplayers.org or calling the Barn box office at 248-553-2955.
As a part of the directorial team, i watch at every rehearsal the amount of time and effort the actors have put into doing their homework, reviewing their “notes” and allowing us to impose upon them a new way of thinking s an actor, oddly enough quite appropriate for this play. Watching Maureen grow and have the opportunity to help her become Emily.
ReplyDeleteAs an ensemble cast, there aren’t any leads, any “stars” but instead 5 people, actors, characters, individuals coming together to lift up the story as the lead, the “star”
Onstage and off, Maureen is a great example of team sportsmanship, nurturing and cooperation