Review-The Vagina Monologues-V Day 2013
15-2-13
By: Harry Oram
Yesterday was the 14th of February and so I wish you readers a Happy Valentines Day! But also a Happy V-Day, a movement set up by playwright and activist, Eve Ensler, in 1998 to stop violence against women. This has become an annual event in Hong Kong where local actresses perform The Vagina Monologues to raise money for a local women’s charity; this year the charity was “HERfund”.
The event, organised and hosted by multi-talented Meaghan Mcgurgan, began with raffle tickets sold at the start and so the spirit of charity was in the air, everything raised from ticket sales and the raffle going to the charity. I was impressed with the turn-out; people were standing, lining the walls of the venue, Bisous. I overheard many in the audience were coming to Bisous for the first time and agreed with shared opinions that this was a very suitable venue for such a show.
I have never seen The Vagina Monologues performed before, nor have I read it. So as Meaghan got the audience to chant “Vagina, Vagina, Vagina”, to familiarize us with hearing the word out-loud, I admit that I felt just the slightest pang of embarrassment: for being a male raised to be an English gentleman, one does not so easily talk about such subjects so openly; thus how a woman views her vagina is not a subject I have given much thought to. Having been a part of tonight’s show I can see how it can be both a delicate and sensitive one. But that was the point of this evening: to get everyone involved more comfortable with a subject that is usually kept a little hush-hush. Which immediately got me thinking, why is that? At which point I thought to myself, “well done ladies; show hasn’t even started yet and you’ve got me thinking and questioning”, which is only ever a good thing.
Now prepped for the show, Act 1 opened with “Hair”, performed by Amanda Pillay about a girl who toyed with the idea of shaving her vagina to please her man. She did not wish to at first as it made her feel like a “little girl”, but she did it for him anyway. Despite this however, the man cheated on her anyway. Amanda’s performance was comedic and heartfelt.
In between monologues, I felt disappointed that there were no programmes as I was curious about each of the performers. Fortunately at the end of the show, Meaghan introduced all the ladies and so I was able to jot down all their names. I do understand that no programmes means more money to the charity but a little information about the charity, the event, a bit about Eve Ensler and the play and all the performers would have gone a long way to satisfying a lot of my curiosities and making it a more enjoyable experience.
Next was “Vagina Workshop”, performed by Angie Palmer whose character was rather a shy lady who had signed up to a “Vagina workshop” in order to transform her perception of her vagina being a “black hole” that existed in an “abstract place” into an awakening vision of her own “vagina wonder”. I was impressed with Angie’s performance, playing the transition from shy to confident very well whilst also demonstrating her command of the stage as an actress.
“He Liked It” followed, performed by Carly Dorfman. I loved the character that Carly constructed, stepping out with large glasses and a shy countenance; Carly played the “dorkiness” of her character excellently. This quirky lady found sex and all things related a little “intimate” and it is not until she meets Bob, a connoisseur of vaginas, that she is able to fully embrace her own sexuality and feminine beauty.
Jennie Davies performed “Angry Vagina” next and I thoroughly enjoyed Jennie’s confidence on stage. The character was pissed off at society and other “Vagina Motherfuckers” who have sought to “undermine [her] pussy”. Extremely funny and engaging, Jennie’s performance was strong, powerful and indeed very angry.
Leeann Bennett finished Act 1 with “Village”. This was a moving monologue about a woman who had suffered at the hands of soldiers, which Leann performed with sensitivity. However afterwards I was left thinking that the order in which these monologues were performed could perhaps have been done better. Although the transitions between performances were very quick, this was not the last time that I felt some of the more dramatic and sensitive pieces had the added challenge of having to follow something more comedic.
After the intermission there were short performances by the Vixens and then by the Desert Mermaids. As a veteran Vixen viewer, I must say this was one of my favourite numbers and my compliments to whoever picked the piece. Though not in full force with only four vixens, their dance was to “Fever”; it was slower, quietly confident, and fitted well with the entire evening. The Desert Mermaids I have also seen perform, and they too were great, featuring their always fantastic costumes. This was followed by a solo performance by their leader Suzette, displaying a variety of talented moves in a short space of time.
Act 2 opened with “Coochie Snorcher” by Jess De Borja. A challenging piece where a girl recounts painful memories before finding salvation at the hands of a lesbian who teaches her how to love her body. Jess was both innocent and moving.
“Cunt” was an intense piece, where Hannah Lochead gave an engaging performance where she explored the word “cunt” in all the varied feelings, sounds and images the four syllables “c”, “u”, “n”, “t”, evoke.
“Burqa” by Alexandra Jacobs was subtle and emotional as she sought the audience’s empathy by asking them to “imagine” certain situations. This quieter piece I felt was diminished slightly by the venue, as the stage was limiting and the noise of the bar staff became a challenge the actress had to overcome. For songs, dances and other pieces of high energy the bar is not an issue. However I noticed several times during the more delicate pieces that the venue does pose a few issues.
Nicole Garbellini’s “Moan” was perhaps one of the most entertaining of the night. Dressing the part of the corporate lawyer turned dominatrix who found freedom in pleasuring women; Nicole ended her monologue with an acting out the list of “moans” that women do when reaching orgasm, ranging from the subdued “Irish Catholic” to the extreme “triple orgasm”.
Lisa Middleton finished the night with a performance of “I was there”, where the character recounts the birth of her granddaughter. Although heartfelt, the performance again suffered for having the added challenge of having to follow the “triple orgasm” with something sincere, as well as such subtlety having to contend with the venue’s background noise.
I did enjoy all the efforts of every performer, dealing with demanding material with confidence, enthusiasm and ease, qualities that I find most enjoyable to watch. I was left curious as to whether the actresses got to pick their monologues; if not, the casting was superb.
Despite occasional noise issues, the venue is perfect for such a play: the minimalistic lighting and no stage or props meant that the focus was on the actresses. By the end of the night I think this was a good thing. Eve Ensler has written fantastic pieces that are challenging, engaging and questioning. The challenge is to execute them well, and I believe all the actresses did that.
I applaud Meaghan for producing the event and for giving a platform for so many artists to contribute. The evening was entertaining, the money worth it AND going to a good cause. I don’t think anyone left the show with their heart bursting full of Women-Pride and girl-power (although I did hear great “whoops” when Carly raised her fist and said “pussies unite”). If the show sought to get the audience to question our views, our values and get us more comfortable with certain subject matters whilst entertaining us, then the show was indeed a tremendous success.
The Vagina Monologues was a one time performance. For more information please see here.
Comments
ka
The order of the monologues is the same. Although I personally think the show works better without an intermission.
15 February 2013Maan
Thanks for the review. I watched VM years ago at The Fringe Club. But judging by your article, last night's was way way more interesting. By the way Jess's surname is De Borja. Cheers!
15 February 2013Sassy Mama
Great show!
15 February 2013Drama Queen
hannah was great!
15 February 2013Lilly
Great venue and great show!
17 February 2013