“Second Death of a Mad Wife” at Ophelia’s Jump Productions

Spine-tingling tale of a crazy-cat-lady’s haunting revelations

By: MaryAnn DiPietro

Just in time for the Halloween season, “Second Death of a Mad Wife” has its world premiere at Ophelia’s Jump Productions. Audiences will journey into the darkest corners of the human mind as this new work takes the stage in October.

Directed by Beatrice Casagran, the play centers on Florence Maybrick, a woman tormented by her own memories and haunted by her past. Maybrick was a real person, and Casagran describes her as “an unreliable narrator who suffers from dementia and possibly an addiction to arsenic.” Casagran is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of Ophelia’s Jump Productions (OJP) and is passionate about telling stories that center on women’s experiences. “I’ve always been drawn to plays that challenge the audience to ask questions,” Casagran explains. “With Ophelia’s Jump, our mission has always been to produce works that highlight women’s voices and experiences. This new work fits perfectly into that mission.”

Originally from Los Angeles, Casagran began acting in high school and studied theatre and political studies at university. After serving on various theatre boards and teaching, she earned her Master’s in Theatre from California State University, San Bernardino. Unsatisfied with the range of theatre available in the area, “I wanted to see more straight plays, more plays that centered on women and asked provocative questions,” she recalls. “That’s why I founded Ophelia’s Jump, to create a space where we could do just that.”

During the pandemic, Casagran discovered playwright Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos, leading OJP to produce her “Poison Squad of Whispering Women.” This marked the beginning of a collaboration between the theatre and the playwright. “Second Death of a Mad Wife” is the third of McBurnette-Andronicos’ plays that Ophelia’s Jump has staged. “Kelly’s work is brilliant,” Casagran says. “She finds these fascinating, historical nuggets involving women and builds these beautifully intricate, historically-based fictions around them.”

Maybrick, our crazy cat lady, was convicted in late 19th century England for poisoning her husband, James Maybrick, rumored to have been Jack the Ripper. This case sparked controversy in real life and brings a nonlinear narrative to the stage. The play takes place in Connecticut in 1942, where an elderly Maybrick spends her final days living under the alias Bunny Chandler. Her unreliable memory makes it difficult to discern what is real and what is imagined. Bunny’s memories are fractured, and several of the characters in the play are 50 year old memories come to life in a surprising way.

“The play has a very gothic, almost magical quality to it,” Casagran adds. “Even though it’s set in Connecticut, it has that Southern Gothic noir feeling that runs through a lot of Kelly McBurnette Andronicos's plays.” Visually, Casagran and her creative team have embraced the fractured element of thoughts and structure. “We wanted the scenic design and the lighting to reflect the state of Bunny’s mind,” she explains. “There are no 90-degree angles in the set, and everything has this slightly off-kilter feeling to it. It’s all designed to mirror Bunny’s mental state.”

The use of color in the scenic design is also significant. Arsenic, which plays a crucial role in both Maybrick’s life and the play itself, was often associated with the color green in Victorian times. “We’ve incorporated that green into the set as a subtle nod to Bunny’s possible arsenic addiction,” Casagran notes. “It’s a visual motif that runs throughout the play.”

Lighting designer Vickie Scott is another integral member of Casagran’s production team. “Lighting is going to be key in this production. We want to create a space that feels like it’s constantly shifting, just like Bunny’s mind. Vicky is brilliant at that kind of work, and I’m excited to see what she comes up with,” Casagran adds.

She is particularly excited about the talent they’ve assembled for the production. Robert Solomon, who plays a prep school boy tasked with bringing Bunny supplies, is a rising star that Casagran is eager to introduce to Southern California audiences. He speaks in the slang of 1942, which is in great contrast to Bunny, who is anchored in the Victorian era of 40+ years earlier. “Kelly is a wordsmith,” Casagran gushes. “There’s something really special about working with a small group of actors, especially on a new work like this,” she says. “It allows for a lot of collaboration and exploration, and that’s something I really value in the rehearsal process.”

“I want people to walk away feeling like they’ve had an enjoyable, thought-provoking experience,” Casagran says. She hopes the audience will be both entertained and engaged. “I hope they’re surprised by the twists and turns in the plot and in the story of Florence Maybrick. She was a real person, and her life was fascinating. I think people will leave the theatre wanting to learn more about her.”

MaryAnn DiPietro is an actor, singer, pianist, music director, and writer.

“Second Death of a Mad Wife”

Ophelia’s Jump Productions

2009 Porterfield Way, Ste H, Upland, CA

October 12-November 3, 2024

(909) 734-6565, opheliasjump.org