NEW YORK—Joely Richardson makes a genial host as Emily Dickinson, in a strong revival of William Luce’s one-woman show The Belle of Amherst, now playing off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre.
The year is 1883 at Dickinson’s childhood residence in Amherst, Mass., a place she refers to as “the homestead.” The now middle-aged Emily is living in the house with her sister, Lavinia, neither woman having ever married.
Over the years, Emily has gained a reputation among the townspeople as something of an oddball. Not at ease with people, she often tries to avoid being seen, hiding whenever someone comes to visit or when people try to catch a glance of her through the window.
Emily also always wears white—“Bridal White” as she calls it, giving rise to rumors of an unhappy love affair long ago. She writes strange notes to her neighbors, as well as sends them cakes. Black cake is her particular favorite. She has one in her hands when she welcomes the audience, regarding them as guests, into her home.
As she makes clear early on, Emily prefers words to people, being much happier when left alone with her poetry. Currently she has a trunk full of poems, though so far only seven have been published, all anonymously.
With a penchant for meandering through time in her conversations, events both recent and long ago come together to form the show’s narrative. Emily recalls, among other things, her relationship with her father, her continual struggle to be taken seriously as a writer, and her unlucky attempts at love.
It’s through these accounts that a fully formed portrait of Emily begins to emerge. She was obviously quite close to her father, even though he was often emotionally distant. This relationship seems to color her romantic encounters. Every man she ever took a fancy to—at least those she mentions—are all older than she, all married, and thus all unattainable.
