Mauritius: Fisticuffs & Stamps at Mount Holyoke
Theresa Rebeck’s ‘Mauritius’ came at me fast and furious. There were fights, the f-bomb was liberally lobbed, and there was genuine seething hatred between these characters, with a complicated, juicy plot to sink our teeth into. The setting was a store that specializes in stamps. Who’s ever heard of that before? But Phil’s Stamp Store it is.
Behind the counter is the philatelist, the stamp man, the man who stamps, Phillip, (Claire Clunis). He’s already grumpy. We meet two half sisters who appear already estranged. The older one is in a prim and proper dress, Mary, but the younger one, holding an album of some sort, is dressed more casually. Jackie (Keira Carvin), and the older Mary (Natalie Werthamer).
Outside in the theater lobby, signage explained the value and the different aspects that stamp collectors, Philatelists, use to determine the value of their small treasures.
Mary inherited her grandfather’s stamp collection, which may contain very, very valuable stamps. The fight is on to see who has the rightful claim and what will happen. That stamp master at the counter is an expert in his craft. But when he’s asked to review the album and check out granddad’s stamps, he declines. He says he needs to be paid to even look at them.
But another young philatelist, or least someone who sounds like he knows the difference between postage stamps, chimes in. He wants to look, and he may be able to help the two sisters. Dennis (Lex Canon) has some of the play’s best lines, as he precisely explains himself, making his case about this mysterious man named Sterling (Campbell Kelly Waters) who is going to be coming by the stamp shop soon and could be the big payday the sisters hope for. But it’s not that easy, no, it never is. Mary isn’t going to let it happen, and Jackie can throw a mean punch, too. Slapping ensues!
This Sterling fellow does come with a giant suitcase—not just an attache, but bigger than a carry-on—full of hundred-dollar bills. He’s for real—at least his cash is. Now comes the hard part. What about a look at the album and putting a magnifying glass on those stamps?
Not one microscope or even a little monacle is brought out during the play, so I guess these experts know all they need to know about these stamps. The Inverted Jenny stamp from 1918 is particularly valuable in the collection. Jackie tries to follow the lead of the stampmaster, Phillip, forcing Sterling to cough up ten G’s just to have a look. He agrees.
More fighting ensues. Doubts are raised about the collection’s authenticity; even the prized Jenny comes into doubt. Someone manages to remove said stamp from the album and another F-bomb flies. It’s a battle out there.
The play is quite long, but each of the characters kept up the flow and never missed a line. It’s interesting to have a show with so many characters who are not likeable, and for the most part, this applied to them all. The sets and fake fighting pulled it off, keeping the audience right there with everything.
“Mauritius” at Mount Holyoke College March 7, 2025. Directed by Glynnis Goff, Scenic Designer Vanessa James.