Let me be quite clear right at the
start: when I say that this play is dull because for the most part it
contains nothing but conversation about various feminist theories, I do
not mean that those theories are what make it dull. Interestingly, it
gives equal time and weight to the views of conservative Phyllis
Schlafly that equality for women in feminist terms would rob them of
existing areas of overt or implicit control. But simply putting these
views into the mouths of characters in a series of college seminars
makes for dreadfully dreary drama. Author Gina Gionfriddo says in the
programme that she deliberately rebelled against the principle that
“drama comes from action and from characters who pursue goals
passionately”, so she has no-one to blame but herself.
A few decades ago the Hampstead Theatre was stereotyped as presenting
dramas about the lives of the Hampstead theatregoing class, the genre
known as “adultery in NW3”. This is precisely that genre, transplanted
to a minor and unnamed American campus town. Don is an underachieving
college dean, Gwen his controlling wife, Catherine their old friend and
Don’s ex, now a successful feminist author and cultural commentator,
who has returned to nurse her convalescent mother. Catherine works up a
series of classes on feminism, media and culture in which her students
are Gwen and Avery, a near-dropout from the college and the other
couple’s former babysitter. They talk. A lot. About theory. About
practice. About the world. About movies. About themselves. Two-thirds
of the way through, something finally happens: they agree to switch,
with Gwen going to postgraduate summer school in New York and Don
moving in with Catherine; but hardly has it started happening before it
stops again, with a lot of talk along the way and afterwards. It says
something (ha) that the biggest laugh of the press night came when the
woman in front of me involuntarily gasped an incredulous “What?!” at a
particular line.
Jonathan Fensom’s revolve-based set is nimble and versatile. Emma
Fielding, Emilia Fox and Adam James are solid as Gwen, Catherine and
Don, but Shannon Tarbet and Polly Adams as Avery and Catherine’s mother
steal almost all their scenes given half a chance. Overall, though, it
is hard to defend thinking dramas in general against bigoted
accusations of sterile worthiness when there are pieces like this
providing evidence for the prosecution.
Written for the Financial
Times.