Show: 13
Title: The Debutante
Category: Drama
By: Abas Theatre Company
Written by: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Location: U of M Rarig Center Arena
Summary: In 1919, a popular and careless young woman falls in love with a writer from St. Paul and has a brief and intense love affair.
Highlights: This is a beautiful and tragic love story, like much of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. Rosalind (Piper Schatz Akin) is rich and beautiful and enjoys toying with the many men who fall in love with her. Until she meets Amory (John Fries, who looks the part of a young Fitzgerald hero), with whom she falls desperately in love. He is hers completely and wants to marry her, but she rejects him because she needs to marry someone with money who can support her lifestyle. "Oh Amory, what have I done to you?" The play is short and bittersweet and well played by this young cast. In fact it's so short there's ample time for a couple of party dancing party scenes that make me long for the day when beautiful women in dresses danced politely and civilly with handsome men in suits (although I didn't quite get the modern dance scene and the use of remotes to turn on the music). Fitzgerald's words are beautiful to listen to and the period costumes and dancing are pleasant to watch, and the amiable cast does a good job bringing this sweet and sad little story to life.