Marquette Examines Loss With ‘Women of Lockerbie’

Debra Krajec directs The Women of Lockerbie, the next production in Marquette University theater’s season. The Deborah Brevoort drama, inspired by the tragic bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988, explores the emotional dynamics of loss.

A woman travels to Scotland to try to regain a fragment of her lost son. There she runs into a group of women who are working against the U.S. government by trying to obtain the clothing of the victims in the hopes of cleaning them and returning them to the families who lost loved ones. Though the story is inspired by a true event, the characters and situations in the play are fabricated.

The Women of Lockerbie has been criticized for being overly sentimental and reluctant to address the complexities of human tragedy, but the play still has struck a chord with people worldwide. It has been translated into multiple languages and performed across the globe. Perhaps the biggest factor contributing to the play's international appeal has been the playwright's decision to cast the naturalism of contemporary events in a light that feels very much like an ancient Greek tragedy. In so doing, Brevoort amplifies the reality of what happened and brings it into its proper sense of emotional significance in the modern world.

Marquette University's production of The Women of Lockerbie runs Nov. 8-18 at the Helfaer Theatre. For ticket reservations, call 414-288-7504.

Theater Happenings

• Soulstice Theatre is set to open a production of the Noel Coward comedy Blithe Spirit. In this tale, a novelist brings a medium into his home to learn the language of the occult, only to find that they have summoned the spirit of his first wife. Blithe Spirit runs Nov. 2-17 at the Keith Tamsett Theatre, 3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave., St. Francis. For ticket reservations, call 414-481-2800.

• First Stage opens its First Steps season (intended for children ages 3-6) with Five Little Monkeys, a stage adaptation of the popular picture books. The show runs Nov. 3-25 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. For ticket reservations, call 414-273-7206.