Theater Barn’s ‘Monologues’ Offers

Three Very Competent Performances

By Julie Stern

RIDGEFIELD — At Ridgefield Theater Barn, where patrons sit with their picnic goodies at tables surrounding the stage, we found ourselves next to a pleasant young man who introduced himself, and confided that he was there because his fiancée was one of the three performers in Eve Ensler’s impassioned tribute to female anatomy. Watching the genuine enthusiasm and pride transfigure his face every time she delivered a speech was definitely the highlight of the evening for this reviewer and my companions.

Since it has been performed in countless venues by this time, and has made headlines as much for being censored or shut down as for energizing exultant fans all over the country, The Vagina Monologues is a show that most people have heard of.

If you think it is something you want to see, you’ll probably like it, and the theater barn was packed with people who squealed and shouted with delight at every possible opportunity.

On the other hand, if you suspect, as someone I know remarked, that there’s nothing wrong with The Vagina Monologues that a couple of doses of Monistat can’t cure, then you’ll be better off seeing something else.

After interviewing several hundred women of all ages, races, religions and sexual persuasions, playwright Ensler composed a series of dramatic monologues in which various “characters” relate their personal stories, and express their own feelings about their bodies and their sexual experiences.

The preponderant message of Monologues, which debuted in 1996, is that a patriarchal society and its submissive female minions have conditioned and brainwashed women into viewing their own bodies with shame and embarrassment, as evidenced by the myriad silly and demeaning euphemisms by which they were taught to use. Thus it becomes extremely important for liberated sisters to regain control, not only of their genitals, but of language itself, defusing the taboo by shouting out words in unison, and ultimately inviting the audience to join in.

Personally I was troubled by the generally angry and self-righteous tone of the whole piece, and by undercurrents of hostility toward men in general (although there was at least one monologue in which a character described finding a “good” man). The whoops of laughter from surrounding tables, however, suggested that mine was a minority opinion.

As far as the production went, Laurie Brearly, Terry Polvay, and Alecia Heidecker gave very competent performances, assuming a wide variety of personas with just the use of a few props and distinctive body language.  Ms Brearly was convincing as an elderly Bronx spinster, Ms Polvay was an excellent tough street kid, and Ms Heidecker was memorably droll in a rendition that was reminiscent of the deli scene in When Harry Met Sally.

The one real criticism I had with the Ridgefield production was the director’s decision to convey the diversity of her characters by having some of the monologues spoken in foreign accents, from British to Yiddish to Bosnian. These were not really necessary, and as they were not consistently maintained, they detracted from, rather than enhanced the narratives.

(Performances continue weekends until April 3. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

Doors open one hour before the performance. If you don’t already know, be forewarned that this play has adult themes and language.

Call 203-431-9850 for details.)