Review - Beside Myself
by Bruce Barton
University of Toronto Quarterly, Volume 72, Number 1, Winter 2002/3
“Saskatchewan's Jennifer Wynne Webber is an intriguing new voice in Canadian drama, and a welcome addition to the slim Prairie component of this year's review package. Her contribution, Beside Myself, is an ambitious play that initially brings to mind the work of John Mighton, as it attempts to both discuss and embody sophisticated theoretical physics within a context of pronounced emotion. Hally (short for Halcyon), a physicist, has just lost her husband, Wade, in a highway accident. Pushed to the emotional and psychological brink, she leaves her job, her in-laws, and her home on the Prairies and moves into a small sailboat in a Vancouver marina. Taking place over two days, the play follows her to the edge of her sanity and back again, as she encounters her husband's 'ghost' and two other characters -- a local labourer and a four-year-old girl -- who both happen to look exactly like her husband. Along the way, Hally explores a wide range of scientific theories related to the concept of multiple realities in an attempt to understand her otherwise delusional grieving experience.
Beside Myself is Wynne Webber's first play, and it bears many of the characteristics of early writing. Much of the play takes the form of a monologue that suffers from excessive exposition and explication. The interaction between Hally and Wade (in his multiple manifestations) is often too obviously witty and/or articulate, undermining the emotional pitch of the situation. And the use of scientific theory as metaphor feels forced and overwrought as often as it provides clarity. That said, there is significant passion in the characters and real innovation in the play's aspirations. Wynne Webber's reach may yet be beyond her grasp, but her first work demonstrates courage, originality, and a familiarity with the challenges and opportunities in theatrical staging. She is, no doubt, a writer to watch.”
University of Toronto Quarterly