Allison Gamlen (Karen), Allan Kropp (Lloyd), Anna Kosiarek (Eve), Sindu Singh (Margo), Dan Allen (Clement)
Altarena Playhouse’s intriguing production of The Wisdom of Eve written by Mary Orr, lures us eagerly back into the addictive world of the soap opera. Under the imaginative direction of award-winner Kimberly Ridgeway, the play is instantly absorbing. We witness a woman’s ruthless ambition, and the insidious cunning she wields to claw her way to the top.
Designer Tom Curtin’s set captures a theater’s front stage, where characters address the audience directly. Upstage right, an antique dressing room invites private conversations, complete with cozy seating and a well-used liquor setup. Upstage left sits the living room of the playwright and his supportive wife—both central to Broadway’s creative world in 1948. With Ava Byrd’s striking period costumes, the audience is transported into the post-war era of evolving Broadway glamour. The dresses are a standout.
The play is a masterclass in deception. Enter cunning Eve Harrington (Anna Kosiarek), a seemingly mousy and naïve newcomer. Kosiarek’s notable ability to shift demeanor—changing expressions, posture, and tone in an instant—makes Eve’s duplicity both believable and engaging. She weasels her way into the life of glamorous and overly expressive actress Margo Crane (Sindu Singh). Singh portrays with delightful theatrical flair, perfectly capturing the Broadway divas of the era.
Dan Allan (Clement), Sindu Singh (Margo)
Eve secures her introduction to Margo through the kindness of Karen Roberts (Allison Gamlen), the playwright’s generous wife, who is moved by Eve’s breathless admiration (“I’ve seen 50 of your shows in a row!”). Eve’s apparent sincerity charms Karen, and Margo hires her as a personal secretary. Once inside the inner circle, Eve proves helpful and hardworking, gaining the trust of Margo and colleagues alike—while also forming a strategic relationship with the unsuspecting stage manager, Harvy (Tyler Null).
Ridgeway skillfully intertwines the audience with the dramatic tension, keeping us glued to every shift in Harrington’s manipulations. She also excels at character development and pacing. The use of the front stage for direct address during transitions heightens our involvement in the unfolding deception.
As Eve’s star rises, she captures admiration from manipulative producer Clement Howell (Dan Allan). She also entralls Karen’s playwright husband, gullible Lloyd (Alan Kropp). At this point, Eve’s claws emerge. She consistently exploits trust, turns friends against one another, and uses blackmail to threaten careers. When her treachery is exposed, she has already shaken Margo’s confidence, manipulated Karen’s kindness, exploited Lloyd’s artistic ambitions, as well as charmed Clement into advancing her career. Not to mention causing snarky Leila (Shelbey Ballantyne), her trusted personal servant to lose her job.
She leaves an emotional wreckage in her wake. Yet, hawk-eyed producer Hinkle (Allan), and entertainment newshound, “Tally-Ho” Thompson (Dan Kolodny) exploit her success.
Tyler Null (Harvey), Hinkle (Dan Allan), Anna Kosiarek (Eve)
The talented ensemble brings home the undeniable taste of the soap opera. I found myself glued to the story to the very end.
It’s illuminating to watch the anatomy of ruthlessness unfold, yet Altarena Playhouse’s The Wisdom of Eve expertly holds a mirror to our culture today. It challenges us to examine the behaviors we celebrate, and the high cost when ambition tramples integrity and kindness.
Come and see it.
The Wisdom of Eve written by Mary Orr, Directed by Kimberly Ridgeway, at Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, CA info: www.altarena.org till November 23, 2025
cast: Dan Allan, Shelby Ballentyne, Allison Gelmen, Dan Kolodny, Anna Kosiarek, Alan Kropp, Sindu Singh