TheaterLab Shares and Convergences Theatre Collective Present
THE WOMAN WHO WAS ME
TheaterLab
357 West 36th St.
NY NY
10018
24 May-11 June 2017
Written by: Peter Grandbois
Performed by
Liz Stanton
Directed by: Jeremy Williams
“It started with a kiss.” And
with that kiss, a long-suppressed desire to be, well, desired, is awakened, and
Liz Stanton is off and running for the next 75 minutes. Stuck
in a tired marriage and worrying about being defined as just “wife” and/or
“mother,” a woman seeks out sexual encounters to put the fire back in her belly.
The story is told with great physicality and poetic over-emphasis. The
sing-song, over-stylized vocal inflections become grating, and you just wish
Stanton would just settle down and talk normally to the audience. The writing
would be better served that way. As it is, Stanton’s character seems so
over-the-top, it becomes difficult to empathize with her. I started to think,
“Oh, affluent white woman with gorgeous house and lovely child feels neglected.
Poor thing.” As much as I wanted to care for her, the style kept me at too much
of a distance.
That is only the first half. The second half is an open
discussion with the audience about women’s choices. I’m have to admit I didn’t
stay for the second half, so I can’t say anything about it!
- Jean Tait -