THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH

A chorus of voices revolves around the Civil War battle that took place in Franklin, Tennessee, and the McGavock home, commandeered as a field hospital for many of the 9,000 casualties. As the property becomes a graveyard, the narratives of soldiers, Carrie McGavock, and the Creole slave Mariah are taken by the four actors. Although clear enough, the performances rarely convey an appropriate sense of time and place. The language, too modern, and the accents, unrealistically refined even when the speech is not, fail to take the listener into the scene. Melodramatic writing is amplified by music that would be at home with a made-for-TV saga. Becky Ann Baker does the best she can with McGavock's angel of death role, but the uneven writing and performances are overall disappointing. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]