| Print |

Written by Anne Earney Tuesday, 18 April 2006 09:21

Sketches of nude women adorned the edges of the stage, lest the audience forget what the show was about before it began.

By Eve Ensler
Directed by Heather Holland-Daly and Sarah James

It’s healthy for women to talk about “down there”—at least, that’s the message of The Vagina Monologues, the latest production at the Lemming Armada in Belleville, Ill. The production was especially enjoyable in the small, tavern-like atmosphere at the Lemming Armada, which lent an immediacy and intimacy not possible in a larger venue.

Four women (Helen White, Shaheera Bhutto, Nancy Wilkinson, and Sara Klosterboer) took turns speaking, sharing information and stories related to women’s attitudes toward “down there,” as the subject is dubbed in one monologue. The stories were gleaned from interviews with women of all stripes: young, old, sexual explorers, abused, sex workers, and victims of violent sexual acts.

On a set designed by Marsha Holland and Heather Holland-Daly, with four seats, walls and chairs all draped in red and orange fabrics, the four actors took turns speaking. Sketches of nude women adorned the edges of the stage, lest the audience forget what the show was about before it began.

The monologues covered subjects as diverse as sexual discovery, rape, and childbirth. Klosterboer’s performance of on “The Woman Who Liked to Make Vaginas Happy,” which involves vocal illustration of different types of moans women make in sexual pleasure, was excellent. Wilkinson showed a real talent for catching the vocal intonations of one girl at different stages in her life, as she recounted her sexual education in “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could.” Also notable were White, with “The Flood,” and Bhutto, with “My Angry Vagina.”

Holland-Daly and James’s direction kept the actors in motion just enough to avoid visual boredom. The actors communicated with each other as well as the audience. They seemed so comfortable together, it was easy to imagine watching a group of close friends tell tales. Although the roles the actors took on changed, the sensation of closeness did not.

All in all, the production was informative and fun, and bodes well for continuing success at the Lemming Armada.

The next production at the Lemming Armada Theatre (119a W. Main St., Belleville, Ill.) will be The Immediacy Theatre Project’s Johnny B Cannon, May 26–June 3. Tickets are available from MetroTix (800-293-5949 or online) or at the Lemming Armada (618-234-5998).