Theater review: Librarian thrives ‘Underneath the Lintel’
A little gem of a one-act play, “Underneath the Lintel” is a fascinating journey that introduces a buttoned-up librarian to mystery and adventure.
In a splendid performance, expressive Glynis Bell explains what sparked an obsessive quest that led to wondrous life changes.
A returned library book, 113 years overdue, in the overnight slot, intrigued her. Clues were in the margins. She investigates, and decides to prove the existence of this person who borrowed the book.
Bell is radiant as she chronicles her findings and the places she went on her travels. We experience her new outlook.
The play, directed by Lana Pepper, is framed as a lecture, with show-and-tell visual aids that tell her stories.
With a librarian’s date-stamp around her neck, Bell is euphoric talking about significant dates in our world history.
Glen Berger’s scintillating play celebrates the joy in the mundane and the wonder in the profound. In “Underneath the Lintel,” we learn this Dutch librarian has been fortunate to discover one life and jump start her own.
"Underneath the Lintel"
- Who: New Jewish Theatre
- When: Through Feb. 13
- Where: Wool Studio Theatre, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur
- Tickets: 314-442-3283; www.newjewishtheatre.org
This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Theater review: Librarian thrives ‘Underneath the Lintel’."