Seeing the Stage Through Our Eyes - Walnut Street Theatre

Jessica Markowitz
Aspects of Love is a controversial play, and for good reason. The story alone is
scandalous, what with the mismatched ages of the characters, the family ties between
rivals, the family ties between those in love, two women in love, and a union of three
people. Seeing such a story unfold on stage is even more so. While the way intimacy is
hinted at but never shown is admirably handled, those hints are rather shocking for the
unprepared viewer. On top of that, the character Rose goes through a few onstage costume
changes. In fact, the first change is only a couple seconds into the first act. Needless to say,
there is a plethora of scenes in which the characters are a tad underdressed.
While this play is obviously not meant for a young audience, there is no need to
write it off; its message is undeniably valuable. Love comes in many forms, and many of
those forms are not accepted by society. The characters in Aspects of Love know this only
too well. The departing message is that what’s important is to live in the moment and
follow your heart. For as Rose states numerous times, we only have one life, not two.