2008 Woodie Awards
A new breed of warriors fights with ferocious wit
The cast of The Vagina Monologues delivers a poignant political message amidst hilarious social commentary
Sarah Gunner
Issue date: 2/19/04 Section: Entertainment
Vibrators, rape, masturbation, domestic violence, menstruation, female circumcision, and birth: these are only some of the themes that were touched upon in Sunday night's performance of The Vagina Monologues. The play, directed by Jessica DeFlumer and Bryan Trapp, consisted of an excellent all-female cast of capable actors who enthusiastically embraced the theme of her monologue. Through the efforts of these actors, playwright Eve Ensler's vision came alive as the Cabaret was transformed into a stage that demanded the audience pay attention to the vagina and everything it represents to women around the world.
The play is composed of 20 monologues, beginning with "Hair", performed by Stephanie Speranza. It was a strong appeal for women to stand up for their bodies and their beliefs, and elicited riotous peals of laughter from the audience.
"What would your vagina wear and say?" was the question posed in the next monologue. The varieties of answers given were both thought provoking and humorous. The humor continued in the monologue "The Flood", in which an older woman describes a sexual experience of her youth that left her fearful of sexual contact for the rest of her life. "The Vagina Workshop", performed by Courtney King and Jessica Lane, mingled two women's experiences of their first orgasms into one, creating a scene that was both poignant and amusing. The performer of the fittingly titled "The Vagina Happy Fact" educated the audience that women's clitorises have twice as many nerve endings as a man's penis, and therefore provide twice the amount of pleasure. The monologue ended with the quote, "Who needs a handgun when you've got a semiautomatic?"
Eventually, the monologues focused on darker themes, addressing issues such as sexual abuse, domestic violence and female circumcision. Women who were burned with acid in Pakistan, set on fire in Iraq, and kidnapped in Mexico were represented in different monologues. "Crooked Braid" dealt with the abuse that many female Native Americans endure at the hands of their husbands, and "The Memory of Her Face" was a testament to the many foreign women who are mistreated solely because they are female.
The play is composed of 20 monologues, beginning with "Hair", performed by Stephanie Speranza. It was a strong appeal for women to stand up for their bodies and their beliefs, and elicited riotous peals of laughter from the audience.
"What would your vagina wear and say?" was the question posed in the next monologue. The varieties of answers given were both thought provoking and humorous. The humor continued in the monologue "The Flood", in which an older woman describes a sexual experience of her youth that left her fearful of sexual contact for the rest of her life. "The Vagina Workshop", performed by Courtney King and Jessica Lane, mingled two women's experiences of their first orgasms into one, creating a scene that was both poignant and amusing. The performer of the fittingly titled "The Vagina Happy Fact" educated the audience that women's clitorises have twice as many nerve endings as a man's penis, and therefore provide twice the amount of pleasure. The monologue ended with the quote, "Who needs a handgun when you've got a semiautomatic?"
Eventually, the monologues focused on darker themes, addressing issues such as sexual abuse, domestic violence and female circumcision. Women who were burned with acid in Pakistan, set on fire in Iraq, and kidnapped in Mexico were represented in different monologues. "Crooked Braid" dealt with the abuse that many female Native Americans endure at the hands of their husbands, and "The Memory of Her Face" was a testament to the many foreign women who are mistreated solely because they are female.