A Personal Organizer Arrives, but the Entanglements Just Get More Knotty In ‘Voices of Swords,’ Aging Parents Are at Issue
Ken JaworowskiAugust 25, 2014: Like an earnest Lifetime TV movie bleached of plot and tension, Voices of Swords is occasionally tolerable but mostly just talky. This is a play eager to chatter on about accepting yourself and others. Trouble is, all those speeches are at the expense of any real drama. The story starts with the daffy Alexis (Celia Schaefer, who has done better work elsewhere) arriving at the home of Olivia (Loni Ackerman), a stubborn retiree preparing to undergo surgery. Alexis, a personal organizer, has been hired by Kosey (Phillip Christian), Olivia’s son, to help his mother around the house. As expected, these two women with contrasting personalities soon find reasons to argue, then to make up, then to become entangled in each other’s personal lives. Though a far-fetched secret comes to light and some suppressed emotions are eventually voiced, cliché is always close by.
READ THE REVIEW