06/10/2026
In this business, you never know what a reviewer will see in the work you have done.
For 36 years I can tell you that statement is the truth. You believe you’ve done your best, but how will it be received by critics and audiences.
Last Thursday we opened Arbus & West. The process of rehearsals was a lot of scene work to discover what the playwright Stephen Sewell was saying and what could be brought to the stage. Discovering the dynamics between Ruby, Diane Arbus, and Mae West.
We all discovered that the deeper you dove, the more questions surfaced. Opening night came along with that, audiences and reviewers.
Yesterday, our second review dropped and I can tell you, I am again proud that what we have worked five weeks to bring to the stage was received with…let the review speak for itself:
“Five minutes into Arbus & West, I was mentally handing Emily Sahler, who plays Mae West, an imaginary Drammy.
Sahler deserves the Portland Area Theatre Allianance (PATA) award (now on “indefinite hiatus”) not for Acting with a Capital A, but because she simply seemed to be Mae, the woman, in the U.S. premiere of Arbus & West at triangle productions.
Turning a platinum blonde Hollywood star who was famous for her stylized poses and witty one-liners into a believable human is comparable to appearing to be relaxed while standing on one leg on a galloping horse’s back. Although, after seeing the production directed by Donald Horn, both she and the talented Tasha Danner, who plays Diane Arbus, could probably pull off such an impressive balancing act.”
[continuing]
[Emily] Sahler brilliantly blurs the line between these two versions of Mae. In an early scene, she purrs and slinks and struts in front of a gold-framed mirror, mouthing her famous bon mots (“Come up and see me sometime”) in the sultry voice we hear in her films. After a few days with Diane, though, this confident façade begins to show signs of erosion, and her voice slips back to Mae’s Brooklyn roots, along with a note of self-doubt.”
[continuing]
“In a play that’s mostly all talking, Horn’s direction and designs keep the production popping with visual delights. The delicious set, for example, is like a fancy French vanilla cake, featuring curly white chairs and elaborate bouquets of pink and white roses. Here, the dynamic actors are always in motion, circling around the furniture, or, in Mae’s case, vamping in front of one of the many mirrors.
The two performers excel at such physicality, especially when Mae caresses a satin pillow and talks about how much she loves men while Diane stands with her arms crossed and a strained look on her face.
Color also adds life to the production, including Diane’s salmon trousers (day one) and lemon (day two) and Ruby’s crisp Kelly green shift, which captures the character’s efficiency and streak of mischievousness. Trevor Sargent’s lighting also makes Mae’s diamond rings twinkle, and Mae’s doorbell announces visitors with resonant chimes, while the sound of a camera’s shutter separates the scenes.”
[continuing]
“This is the last play in triangle’s 36th season, which has featured a series of impressive actors, including Danielle Valentine as a warm-hearted baker who struggles to accept her le***an goddaughter; Wendy Westerwelle as the “one tough mother” Gert Boyle; and the quartet of Lisamarie Harrison, Michelle Maida, Helen Raptis and Beth Willis in the recent The Savannah Sipping Society.
While the latter play was an enjoyable fantasy of female friendship, the others captured the messiness of real life, as does Arbus & West.
THE WHOLE REVIEW: https://www.orartswatch.org/clash-of-the-titans-diane-arbus-and-mae-west-lock-horns-in-arbus-west
ARBUS & WEST
Only 7 shows left – now through June 20th.
Tickets: www.trianglepro.org/arbus-west
Photos by David Kinder/Kinderpics
![As we wind down to the final show of Arbus & West [the meeting of two titans], I'd like to shine a light on how Mae wasn...](https://img3.glartent.com/540/213/1729679555402131.jpg)
