A mysterious play by Ira Levin, American novelist, ‘Veronica’s Room’, directed by Mahsa Nasiri, is on stage at 3dots theatre.
The theatrical play by Levin, best known for ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ was originally mounted in 1973. Since identifying the characters by name would spoil the plot for the audience, the printed leaflets of the program identify the four characters as Woman, Man, Girl, and Young Man, the names also used in the script, Honaronline reports.
A middle-aged Irish couple, John and Maureen Mackey, bring a young couple, Susan and Larry who recently started dating, to the suburban Boston home where the Mackeys are caretakers. The Mackeys approach them at a restaurant due to Susan’s resemblance to a dead woman, Veronica. They explain that Veronica’s elderly, senile sister, Cissie, is now in their charge, and Susan agrees to dress up as Veronica in an effort to bring Cissie “a sense of closure.” The year is 1973, but Cissie believes it to be 1935. Larry and the Mackeys leave Susan alone in Veronica’s bedroom to change into a period outfit.
The couple treats the young woman as if she were truly Veronica, and they represent themselves as her parents, Lloyd and Nedra. They accuse her of having murdered Cissie after she discovered (and threatened to reveal) Veronica’s incestuous relationship with their younger brother, Conrad. They also maintain that it is 1935. When the young woman stands by her identity as Susan from 1973, Lloyd and Nedra treat her as insane and call the family physician, Dr. Simpson. When he arrives, the young woman recognizes him as Larry. The young woman is ultimately broken; she acknowledges that she is Veronica and confesses to the “misdeeds”. Nedra leads the others in murdering her.
It is then revealed that the older man and woman are in fact Veronica and Conrad, while the younger man is their son, ‘Boy.’ This is not the first time the three have plotted such a murder, nor will it be the last; Boy brings Veronica and Conrad young women who resemble Veronica, so that she can experience “a catharsis for her murders.”
Nasiri said she was seeking an absorbing realistic story with fewer characters. The play is performed by actors who are all graduates of the Karnameh Institute of Arts and Culture.
The play has a social and psychological theme. It is on stage until July 24.
The Dramatist
Ira Marvin Levin (1929-2007) was an American novelist, dramatist and songwriter. His novels include ‘A Kiss before Dying’ (1953), ‘This Perfect Day’ (1970) that won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award 1992, and ‘Silver’ (1991). Five of his novels and three of his plays have been adapted to film.
His other works includes plays ‘No Time for Sergeants’ (1956), ‘Interlock’ (1958), ‘Veronica’s Room’ (1974) and a two-act comedy ‘Break a Leg’ (1981).
