Adia's Place - Last Summer at Bluefish Cove

The late Jane Chambers' Last Summer at Bluefish Cove is a lovely study of relationships set in the lesbian world. Chambers wrote the play in 1976, after a close friend died of cancer. Chambers herself died of a brain tumor in 1983. The central character is a vibrant, self-confident woman named Lil Zalinski, who is spending the summer alone in a cottage on a New England beach that has been a lesbian haven for 30 years. Also at the cove are her dearest friends, three couples, including a couple of former lovers. There's Earth mother Rae and her partner, Annie, an acclaimed sculptor who is Lil's best friend; Kitty Cochrane, a doctor turned best-selling author of feminist books, and her partner-secretary, Rita; and rich dowager Sue with her girl-toy, Donna.

First act hilarious

Into their company walks Eva Margolis, an insecure, sheltered woman who has just walked out on a 12-year marriage, inspired by Dr. Cochrane's feminist bible, The Female Sexual Imperative. The first act is an often hilarious series of scenes in which character is delineated and Kitty tries to keep Eva from finding out she's a lesbian, which would ruin her career. Everybody wants Eva out of the cottage she has rented by mistake. But things are complicated by a growing friendship between Eva and Lil, who feels a protective instinct toward the younger woman. A self-described "alley cat," Lil finds herself really in love for the first time, and Eva blossoms under the wiser woman's wings. Their midsummer idyll is interrupted by a return of Lil's cancer, and the possibility of death brings a wonderful urgency to the relationship. This play is not so much about women in love as it is about love and friendship itself, and the many varieties that exist. The best thing about it are the performances of its central couple, Pam Petruzzi as Lil and Margo Lemberger as Eva, attracted and scared at the same time. Lemberger, with her girlish good looks and puppy-dog vulnerability, can steal your heart with a simple glance or gesture. And Petruzzi brings a nurturing warmth to Lil.

Tries to do too much

Jane Noble is perfectly cast as Dr. Kitty Cochrane, the seemingly heartless celebrity who does have a heart after all. And Sara Rieman, with her Florida tan and short cropped-hair, is a scene-stealing Donna. They are supported by Tonya Johnson and Nancy A. Petersen as the blissfully domestic Rae and Annie; Kerra D. Wagener as Kitty's protective secretary; and Deb Myers as Sue, a more complicated woman that you first suspect. One of the problems with the play is that Chambers actually tries to do too much, explaining the difficulties of being a lesbian in 1976, before everyone was out of the closet, while exploring the ups and downs of various kinds of dependencies and the struggle of women to become independent beings. But if it bothers you to see women caressing women, this is not the play for you. No problem, since most of the performances already are sold out, said TOTS (Theater on the Square) artistic director Ron Spencer. After its run here in Indianapolis, it will travel to Bloomington for the National Women's Music Festival in May.