It\u2019s the story of the relationship between the first two women on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. Though not of the same mind politically, they are bonded in sisterhood, hence the very clever title. [Note: I know that it\u2019s just a play on the word\u00a0\u201csister-in-law,\u201d because these are females in the field of law, but I hope\u00a0that it somehow magically makes people realize that the correct term for more than one sister-in-law is \u201csisterS-in-law.\u201d And so on down the line with all<\/em> persons-in-law.]<\/p>\n Stephanie Faracy and Tovah Feldshuh. Photo by Kevin Parry, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n Everything about this play is spot-on. The perfect combo of elements brings us this very important topic\u2014playwright (and former lawyer) Jonathan Shapiro; actresses Stephanie Faracy and Tovah Feldshuh, (who look just like the justices they\u2019re portraying!,); director Patricia McGregor; set designer Rachel Myers; projection designer Yee Eun Nam; The Wallis being the theatre presenting this production; and even the location of Beverly Hills. It all works like just about nothing I\u2019ve ever seen before.<\/p>\n One of the very few notes I jotted down as I watched Sisters In Law was that \u201csomeone very intelligent, knowledgeable, and aware wrote this! He or she needed to do soooo much research.\u201d Well, it actually came from the brains of a duet<\/em> of creative people; the two-character play is based on Linda Hirshman\u2019s book, which is a dual account of the careers of those important, ground-breaking jurists. And then it was adapted for the stage byJonathan Shapiro, who, in addition to being a lawyer and law professor (at UCLA, so yay!,) wrote and produced, (among many other shows,) the mid-aughts series Life<\/em>, which I was possibly the only person who watched. And that viewing was not just because I went to their premiere party, (which I was partly responsible for putting together.) I really liked it! So I guess I was already a fan of Jonathan\u2019s work. (He works on one of my other faves, The Blacklist<\/em>, as well. What a varied career he\u2019s had!)<\/p>\n Stephanie Faracy. Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n By the way, both Ginsburg and O\u2019Connor are still alive and in their eighties! Sandra retired a long time ago, but as I would assume everyone<\/em> knows, Ruth is still out there fighting the good fight. She, thank goodness, refuses to go down. She\u2019s trying her hardest to stay on the Court until we get a normal president again.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the little I have to say on the actual show; you just have to experience it all for yourselves:<\/p>\n The entire experience is entertaining from the get-go. As you walk into the Wallis\u2019 Lovelace Theatre, all you see on the stage is two judges robes. They turn-out to not be a part of the active<\/em> set, so they\u2019re most likely there just to give the audience something to look at as they get settled, which is thoughtful.<\/p>\n The always-moving set is quite clever, and the projections on the walls, showing the time and place, are most helpful. The varied music throughout, that goes with each time frame, is also a plus.<\/p>\n There are many wonderful and memorable lines, all the way through, but these two stood-out to me:<\/p>\n The program art for Sisters In Law at The Wallis.<\/p><\/div>\n The first one, \u201cThe country has survived bad presidents so far!,\u201d delivered by the Sandra Day O\u2019Connor character circa 2012, got a very knowing laugh\/groan from the audience I saw it with. It was a sad jolt back to today\u2019s reality.<\/p>\n The one that really got to me personally<\/em>, though, is from Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s character, about her relationship with O\u2019Connor. She says, \u201cWhen I need her, she\u2019s there. That\u2019s how sisters work.\u201d But, let me tell you, you can\u2019t prove that by me<\/em>! However, that\u2019s another story–a Stephen King one!<\/p>\n But back to the happy stuff. What an important time this is for this play. I doubt it will open the eyes of anyone who helped ruin this country by voting the wrong way in the last Presidential election, but one can always hope. And maybe it will spur-on someone normal to do more to bring about a positive outcome next go-round.<\/p>\n And no matter what, this show is a great way to teach<\/em>, through wonderful entertainment. I really wasn’t even noticing how much I was learning from Sisters In Law<\/em>; the knowledge just seeped into my brain. In all the research I do for just about every of the almost two thousand columns I\u2019ve written for this e-zine, (not to mention things I look-up every day just for the hell of it,) I\u2019ve never once in my entire life looked into the Supreme Court of the United States. But after this show inspired me to do just that, I could now run the category on Jeopardy<\/em>! And in the more difficult Double Jeopardy round at that!<\/p>\n Of course, I was already a fan of Ginsburg, but I learned so much from Sisters In Law<\/em>. I\u2019m sure that most, if not all, of the actual dialogue is imagined, but the sentiments and ideas behind the lines are all authentic, which really helps break-down history for us.<\/p>\n Tovah Feldshuh. Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n What a dichotomy this show is; the account of these two women show how far this country has come in the past almost-three decades since Ginsburg became the second female Supreme Court Justice, but that progress<\/em> also makes us realize that we\u2019re still going through much of this shamefulness all these years later.<\/p>\n But without the two spot-on actresses, it might all be for naught. I can’t imagine any other women being more perfect for each role. These ladies have soooo many credits, yet I was barely familiar with their previous work, which kind-of worked in their favor\u2014they were just the characters to me. I actually don\u2019t remember ever seeing Stephanie Faracy before, and Tovah Feldshuh only twice\u2014in recent years, as the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend<\/em>\u2019s mother, and as Liev Schreiber’s mother in one of my favorite films of all time, 1999\u2019s A Walk on the Moon<\/em>.<\/p>\n Tovah Feldshuh and Stephanie Faracy. Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n And I must laud the powers-that-be for something extra\u2014for once, we get a production that\u2019s just as long as the program says<\/em> it is! That\u2019s pretty rare these days. But in all honestly, if someone else hadn\u2019t mentioned it after, I wouldn\u2019t have even noticed that because I did not look at my watch even once during the performance! Time just flew.<\/p>\n I have been raving about this show not just in this review, but from the second I left the Wallis that night! Do not miss it, no matter your political leaning!<\/p>\n Sisters In Law<\/em>\u00a0running week-ends through October 13, 2019<\/strong> SISTERS IN LAW Sisters In Law at the Wallis is well-nigh the perfect show! And this just might be my shortest review ever; I don\u2019t have much to analyze for you with this one. (And sadly for me, nothing to mock.) All I really have to say is: go see it! It\u2019s the story of<\/p>\n![\"Stephanie](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/org_img_1568919341_L-DSC_5827.jpg\")
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\n The Wallis\u2014Lovelace Studio Theatre<\/strong>
\n 9390 N. Santa Monica\u00a0 Boulevard Beverly Hills 310-746-4000\u00a0www.thewallis.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"