Bethany Jillard and Chick Reid (photo credit: Cylla von Tiedemann)
The Curse of Passing Time
by Beat Rice
The current version of The Little Years was commissioned by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival last year where it was part of their season in the studio theatre. The production now has a new life at the Tarragon with recreated designs and some different casting. It shows us the beautiful and malicious ways people can affect others unintentionally.
We are introduced to young Kate, played by Bethany Jilliard, at the beginning of the play. We meet a bright, curious pre-teen with questions and ideas about time, space, and physics, as big as the universe. We instantly have high hopes for her, but unfortunately her ideas are deemed unacceptable and foolish for a young girl in the 50’s. Her mother, played by Chick Reid, discourages her from even talking of such subjects, and instead encourages her to go out, be social, and meet boys. She decides to place her daughter out of regular school and place her in vocational school, a move that alters the fate of Kate drastically. Irene Poole plays adult Kate, who grows up to be a bitter young adult who constantly has to hear about how well her brother William is doing in life. William is an invisible but ever-present character in the play. His wife Grace, played by Pamela Sinha, gives Kate love and support to try to pull her out of her negativity. She never gives up, even as Kate descends into a darker place as she approaches mature adulthood.
