Slice of life

MEMORY HOUSE What is it about baking a pie that strikes such a visceral chord? There’s an exactness to the artthat playwright Kathleen Tolan transforms into a powerful metaphor in this dance of negotiation and connection betweena recently divorced mother and her teenage daughter. Crisply directed by Melia Bensussen. Pictured: Susan Pellegrino (left) and Rebecca Blumhagen. Through Nov. 18. Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Lowell. 978-654-4678, www.mrt.org Terry Byrne