Apples In Winter At Here For Now Theatre
Apples in Winter, Jennifer Fawcett’s taut one-hour monologue now at Here For Now Theatre is not for the faint of heart.
Miriam (Birgitte Solem) is making a pie for her son, Robert, which would seem to be a fairly jolly thing to be doing, until we learn that the institutional kitchen (the perfect set is by Darren Burkett, who also handled lights and costumes) where she is baking is not at her home and this isn’t some cozy family dinner.
Apples in Winter takes place in a jailhouse kitchen and the pie Miriam is baking is, at her son’s request, to be served at his last meal prior to his execution.
We’re somewhere in the United States (Canada does not have a death penalty) and gradually, like peeling the layers of a particularly unpleasant onion, we learn the sad story of how Miriam has come to this final gesture of motherly love.
I will spare you the particulars, but suffice it to say the story is grim and Miriam’s inner journey is harrowing.
What makes Apples in Winter well worth seeing, in addition to a well-wrought script, is the bravura performance of Solem. The Miriam we see is a care-worn woman of middle years who shares with us the kind of nightmare that might break any parent.
At the performance I saw, there was a post-show talkback and when Solem appeared it was hard to believe it was the same person. She appeared a full ten years younger. Solem gives the kind of performance that makes acting look like some sort of black magic.
Miriam speaks directly to the audience throughout, making frequent direct eye contact with specific people in Here For Now’s intimate space. It’s a frankly artificial device that could detract from the emotion of Fawcett’s script. It is a testament to Solem’s performance and the direction of Robert Ross Parker that this doesn’t happen.
I quite enjoy plays in which actors perform manual tasks that must be perfectly timed with the script, and Apples in Winter gives us the pleasure of watching Solem make a pie from scratch, one with a lattice top at that.
Burkett’s set is “practical” which means both the refrigerator and stove actually work, and Solem’s pie making routine is perfectly timed. She even sets a timer on her phone when she puts the pie in the oven and it dings right on cue! Of course, the downside of this is that the audience will pay more attention to the cooking than the drama. Once again, Solem and Parker conspire to prevent that from happening.
Apples in Winter put me in mind of Girls and Boys, another harrowing monologue for an actress at the top of her game. Fiona Mongillo did it at Here For Now in 2022. Perhaps that’s why, as Artistic Director, she was drawn to Fawcett’s play.
Apples in Winter continues at Here For Now Theatre in Stratford through August 31, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Here For Now website.
Footnote: Solem is not only a superb actor, she is a terrific playwright. I had high praise for her Resort To Murder at the Blyth Festival in 2024. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair that one person should be blessed with so much talent.
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