Mecca Wish

The elderly widow Miss Helen lives on her own in a small South African village. She minds her own business, creating sculptures for her garden. Her neighbors regard her as mad — she's a laughingstock, filling her yard with eccentric cement figures. Marius, the local minister, wants her to sign herself into the nursing home and leave off sculpting; her friend Elsa makes the long journey to Miss Helen's home to argue against such a course of action. Why is everyone so interested in how Miss Helen lives out her final days? It is the mysterious power of artists that they can drag seemingly disinterested parties into their worlds — and it is their burden as well. Athol Fugard's play The Road to Mecca explores the tragedy and power of artistic vision, which causes nonartists to sometimes see a world re-imagined — whether they wish for such a gift or not. The Orange Girls present The Road to Mecca at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (February 8 through 24) at the Center of Creative Arts (524 Trinity Avenue, University City; 314-520-9557 or www.orangegirls.org). Tickets are $18 to $20.
Fridays-Sundays. Starts: Feb. 8. Continues through Feb. 24, 2008