The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls

"The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls" is a comedy collectively written by Martha Ross, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Jennifer Brewin, Alisa Palmer and Leah Cherniak. The play dimly recalls some of the themes of MacDonald's "Fall on Your Knees" which she had recently completed before this play was staged at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 1995.
In the prologue, entitled "The Past", we are introduced to the three sisters-oldest to youngest: Jojo, a professor who is utterly captivated by her over-seas lover Brecht; Jayne, the systematic big cheese over at Bay Street and the closeted lesbian; and finally Jelly, the self-supporting artist who has a great love for boxes.
We are also introduced to the Torture Dress and the pearls. Both of these objects were former possessions of their mother. Normally played with when the girls played dress up or tea party.
When the Torture Dress is worn, the remaining Fine sisters must carry out whatever duty the sister wearing the dress commands. We are shown the powers of the Torture Dress in the first few moments where Jojo makes Jayne dance.
Unlike the Torture Dress, the pearls are not to be played with. We learn this when Jelly lectures her sisters, also telling them that they were not allowed to be shoved into boxes.
"Being placed in boxes by her sisters were most likely the reason why she was propelled into art and having an exhibition in the National Kunstwald Hoch Gallerie in Munchen, Munich."
In the next scene, they have been requested by their father to hold a party one week from today ("next Friday") to remember the one week anniversary of their father's death. Jojo and Jayne do not realize that their father died until the very end of the scene after Jelly informs them seven times.

The Fine Sisters

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Jojo Fine is an nontenured English professor in her early forties. Somewhat dowdy, she seethes with suppressed passion. She likes to think of herself as the wise and benevolent eldest sister, but she is hyper-sensitive and given to sudden displays of histrionics.

Jayne Fine is a successful Bay Street shark, and a severely closeted lesbian. Jayne is the middle child. She believes there is no problem that cannot be solved using a flow chart, and deludes herself that her emotions are under strict control. She is, in fact, a ferocious marshmallow.

Jelly Fine is the youngest, a self-employed, self-supporting artist. Despite her sister's beliefs, Jelly is not only a serious artist, she is revealed as the mostly responsible and pragmatic of the three. She sympathizes with and loves her sisters, and is tortured by the battle that rages between them. She is very tolerant, but in the end, she can only be pushed so far.

[Information of the sisters taken from the character notes of The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls.]

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