THE ART OF KNEADING by Helen Knight (Farenheight350/Fringe). At the Annex Theatre. July 8 at 2 pm, July 10 at 10:15 pm, July 11 at 7 pm, July 12 at 4:45 pm, July 14 at 2 pm. See listing. Rating: NNN
Solo performer Helen Knight wrote and performs in this play about three women living in three different places and the ways they’re interconnected by food and family.
Beth is based on Knight’s own life experiences of growing up in a low-income home. Annie is an Irish immigrant fresh off the boat to settle in a New York tenement. And the third character is a young, idealistic American nurse finishing her training in Zambia.
Knight structures the play in a cycle of monologues, and although it could use more definition between the three characters, it’s interesting to watch each one tackle her own preconceptions of the world. Director Lindsey Zess stages things fluidly, reusing props from scene to scene. One clever transition even connects two women through photography, even though they live in different eras.
This play is a late addition to the Fringe, so it’s not listed in the program. Knight gives a nuanced and often tender performance that is worth checking out.