Do we still need The Vagina Monologues? Seattle is a progressive city and the show is almost a decade old--it can hardly be called revolutionary when even pop culture merrily admits that women need orgasms too. For better or worse, the Ensler Effect made the world a friendlier place for the likes of Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City. But there is still serious demand for the show. This month, it runs at the University of Washington, Stone Soup Theatre, Seattle Central Community College, Seattle University, the Bainbridge Island Playhouse--the list goes on and on.
February is the big month for The Vagina Monologues. Ensler allows students and nonprofit companies to produce three benefit performances until March 8 without paying royalties. Regular runs must pay $60 per performance--twice what Edward Albee gets for some of his plays. The steep fees are worth it to companies like Stone Soup, which opened Monologues in December and will soon start its fourth extension. Artistic Director Maureen Miko said it has been Stone Soup's most successful show, selling out nearly every night. So The Vagina Monologues is a phenomenon. But is it a good play?
Based on interviews with over 200 women, the monologues are of anthropological interest and the local productions were okay, but audiences gobbled every moment with gusto. One well-delivered monologue at the University of Washington got big, cheering applause. The same monologue poorly delivered at Stone Soup got big, cheering applause. The audiences weren't moved by the art, but by the message: Vaginas are grand, don't let the haters get you down, and it's never too late to have your first orgasm. (According to one monologue, a 72-year-old woman, with the encouragement of her therapist, went home, lit some candles, took a bath, and "discovered her vagina. She said it took her over an hour, because she was arthritic." That line always got a big laugh, which struck me as a little cruel.)
Afterward, the tittering college kids and friendly old ladies told me they liked the show, but wouldn't say any more. They didn't seem self-congratulatory or drunk on empowerment politics like I expected, but they weren't inspired to talk much, either. I can understand why women might be reluctant to answer questions about their genitals from a strange man, standing on the sidewalk with a notebook. But if we believe Ensler, I'm just the kind of guy who could benefit from their womanly wisdom.
