Arwyn Vernold, Angela Bond, and Kate Clarke Photo by Lynn Roylance

Three Tall Women is a not-quite-memory play filled with regret, resentment, entitlement, and various sexual and body references. Under the direction of distinguished theatre icon Robert Benedetti, the play is being given an outstanding production with three talented actresses at the New Mexico Actors Lab in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

One often hears that Santa Fe is a hotbed of artists and the arts. Where that is true for the visual arts, theatre has not been given much emphasis here. Still, it is important to observe that theatre here is infused with a sense of experimentation. Well-known film and stage actors, directors, and producers have made Santa Fe a second home. Mr. Benedetti, with his previous tenures at the Yale Drama School and the California Institute of the Arts, has brought his considerable clout to garner support in founding the Actors Lab fifteen years ago. The theatre company is making a real difference for quality drama in the "city different." This production of Three Tall Women is a worthy addition to the work of the Actors Lab.

The three actress playing the unnamed women identified as A, B, and C are all excellent. Angela Bond is a veteran actor with over forty years of professional experience. As A (the embodiment of the older years), the character's dementia is played with real honesty and her personification of a sophisticated socialite is equally adept. Kate Clark, as B (the middle stage), infuses her character with just the right touch of humor and wisdom. Arwyn Vernold as the young C is youthful naïve and yet worried about her future. They all find the right tone for the first and the very different second act. Chance Riley makes his theatrical debut in the non-speaking role of The Boy, a stand-in for Albee himself.

The creative team delivers a well-designed set, costumes, make-up and hair, lighting, and properties. The comfortable black box space is free of anything extraneous. Nothing distracts from the important messages of the play.

Three Tall Women is based at least in part on Albee's relationship with his adoptive mother and includes references to his identity as a gay man. The messages of the play include memory and identity, vanity and denial, gender and relationships, aging and time, mortality, and family and estrangement. Albee explores all of these in a layered examination of one woman's life at different stages. He deconstructs this life and handles serious issues with warmth and humor.

The play has serious messages, but this is not a dirge about death. The Actors Lab production is professional and very well done. Special kudos to Robert Benedetti who still has the magic.

Three Tall Women runs through September 13, 2026, at New Mexico Actors Lab, 1213-B Parkway Drive, Santa Fe NM. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm. General Admission $40. For tickets and information, please call 505-395-6576 or visit nmactorslab.com.

Directed by Robert Benedetti, Set and Sound Design by Robert Benedetti, Stage Manager: Lara Terrell, Lighting Designer: Skip Rapoport, Props Designer: Emily Rankin, Costume Designer: Talia Pura, Technical Director: Hamilton Turner, Specialty Props: Wren Batista, Company Photographer: Lynn Roylance.

The Cast: Angela Bond, Kate Clarke, Arwyn Vernold, Chance Riley.