Viva La Vulva

A Highly Prejudiced Review of
Bitch Stole My Ruby Red Slippers

by the late Joe Stanco
  

Last night I had the privilege of seeing the new Viva la Vulva production of "ruby red...." Admittedly, I am a suspect reviewer since I am parental of one vulva and close friend of others, but that won't stop me from stating my opinion ( when did it ever? ).

It begins with the writing. To tap the story of "The Wizard of Oz," the great American journey/quest myth, is a brilliant stroke in itself. The story, familiar to all of us, allows them to play with expectations and familiarities that resonate deep in the audience's mind. In a smart post-modern, deconstructionist move, the writers transpose the old Kansas farm to an unnamed office where five women struggle with the idiocies and mean-spirited greed of a typical American business. They each have problems, setting up the conflicts that will move the story forward. But more importantly, we also see beneath their vulnerabilities to the hidden powers each one possesses.

Also, from the moment the faux lioness growls from her circular collar surrounded by the words "semper ubi, sub ubi," absurd humor keeps the audience rocking with laughter. Feminist in-jokes, puns, crackling pop-culture references, and vaudevillian pratfalls fly so fast and furious that a viewer would need several sessions to keep up with the richly nuanced flow.

The device which starts the plot in motion is the narcolepsy of Dorothy, the most put-upon of the office workers, though we are never sure if her hallucinations are a waking dream or a simple escape from oppressive reality.

Each worker in turn appears in her visions as women seeking to fulfill their personal destinies. The blonde office bimbo appears as a mannequin searching for a brain. The office drudge becomes a Tin woman unable to stop working, searching for a heart. The frightened timid nobody becomes a desperate female searching for courage in a violent world. And the office bitch becomes—naturally—a witch, actually two witches, one good, one evil, both sides of the same personality.

And they follow the yellow brick road in search of their dreams, led by Dorothy, whose dream is to become a pop star. They find adventure, stupidity, and hope in a mad world where they are captured by Monkees (in a hilarious scene that slowly dawns on the audience), fall into opium trances, fight the evil witch, defy the wizardess, escape from "muggers, dealers and cops, oh shit!", are rescued by Toto the stuffed dog, and eventually find their way back to a transformed reality. It is brilliant writing, beautifully executed.

Next, I must mention the acting, which is uniformly superb. Heather Smith plays Dorothy as a perfect pop icon lost in a world outside her control. She sounds like the reincarnation of Judy Garland, giving her role an added poignancy and depth. Her monologues with Toto the stuffed dog are incomparably delicious. She alternately struts, sings and sulks in between her sleeping fits, leading the motley crew to their destiny.

Meghan Williams captures perfectly the dilemma of Crow, the sexy blonde whom nobody respects, and her gradual realization of her own thinking powers is a revelation, both to her character and to the audience. She also demonstrates great comic timing when the steel pole holding
her mannequin body up is pulled out of her "back."

Natalie Stanco plays Tin as a stiff, unblinking automaton in the beginning, and her body language as she transforms into a full woman is entrancing. The scene where she gets drunk and learns to dance disco is a hilarious evolution from awkward jerks to sinuous movement, and the evolution continues as she discovers her womanly body and heart.

As Leona, the modern woman in search of a soul and the courage to display it, Trista Wyly is alternately staunch and wilting. Her bravado is always undertinged with a touch of desperation, and she carries the ambivalence to a new level of depth acting, so that we are never quite sure where one begins and the other ends. Only great timing and carefully developed body language could carry such a role without descending into mawkishness, but she pulls it off with bravado.

But the award for versatility has to go April Gibson, who alternates in the roles of the nasty office manager, the good witch, the bad witch, the receptionist, the wizard, and the servile underling. She whizzes on and off stage in costume changes, all the while inhabiting her characters with a zest that literally brings them to life. She is hilarious, threatening, whiney, and supercilious all at once, an acting tour de force in a play full of good acting.

A special mention of Toto the stuffed dog, who of course does nothing, but it is more than enough. The characters bring him to life in their interactions with him, so that he always seems real, whether flying down form the rafters or cross-dressing in a disguise. He is the butt of many a joke (the "beaver" mistaken identity gag being one of the best).

Each of the characters also has ample opportunity to display her singing and dancing talents, and they make the most of it. The choreography is superb, and songs are delivered with gusto, grace, and style. The song and dance routines are highlights of the show, and the audience response to them is wild and appreciative.

Adam Sneed on sound and Mike Gessaman on lights have a ball with technology, adding textures to the flow that enhance the action and emotion in subtle rhythm.

I want to see this show again! And again! It was too rich for one viewing. Here's hoping this talented troupe will carry "ruby red" to stages in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, as well as points beyond. Audiences deserve this kind of smart, rich writing and acting, executed with a stark minimalism which only enhances the flavor.

Viva la Vulva!

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