As I watched the play on Monday I was pleasantly surprised to see that the actors were able to act out the play exactly as I had imagined it as I read it. I’ve always been a very visual thinker, painting images in my head as I read or when hearing stories. That being said although I had imagined the play I didn’t fully appreciate it as much as it deserved until I watched it on stage. I loved the diversity, energy and emotion each actress brought to stage. Each Betty was uniquely distinctive not only in looks but in personalities as well. I think the most special thing for me while watching the play was getting to know and share in each character’s rage. Right off the bat we connected (at least I connected) with Betty 1’s feeling of helplessness and outrage at the way things were and how nobody was doing anything to deal with these problems.
When reading the play, each time the word “pussy” was used it was still kind of jarring in a way because the words were all we could focus on. However on stage the word started to become insignificant and lost its shock value after a couple of times in my eyes. There was so much more to focus on and appreciate that the word became commonplace and not the sole point of the play.
Aside from the characters what I really enjoyed about the play was the fact that it was interactive and hands on. When ever there was a scene change there was no curtain closing, there were no people behind the stage getting everything set up. In contrast the ceiling was made up of open cubes from which the furniture and props were tossed out of. this definitely added to the uniqueness of the play and its versatility.
I think one of my favorite things about the play was seeing betty 2’s transformation but also wishing more time was spent on her. It’s very clear that Betty 2 is probably the most troubled having problems with identity, isolation and suicide. She very vividly imagines and even tries to persuade herself into getting drunk and driving her car into a lake. When we hear her erotic story about lions, at first we can’t help but laugh at its ridiculousness but then it starts becoming real and raw when it becomes clear she sees herself as that starving lion with no one to love. What worries me most about Betty 2 is that at the end it feels like she becomes unhinged. When she shows up to the play as her pussy and sings her song ( quite beautifully) I don’t get a sense of closure, instead I’m left wanting to know what happens to Betty 2? All the other Betty’s are paired off and she’s left alone discovering self love (which is extremely important) but her approach to it was worrisome to me as it felt she was losing her sanity.
And I guess that’s what was beautiful about the play: the fact that it allowed me to think of all of this and bring forth fully fledged characters that very very relatable in their own way.
This is a great post that discusses how the play is very much relatable to the audience. It is true that the viewers are able to feel the same rage as the characters and reflect on their own sources of frustration. It can be presumed that almost everyone has experienced “helplessness and outrage” which creates a connection between the actors and the audience. I also agree that Betty 2 was a dynamic character who humorously exposed dark issues that she was dealing. The loneliness and suicide that Betty 2 faces shouldn’t be taken lightly and it made me anxious as well. It definitely would have been more satisfying to have a sense of closure with Betty 2.