Casque and Gauntlet Senior Society hosted the dynamic Untamed Shrews last night. Self-described as a collaborative women's performance group, the Shrews' production was an absorbing and unique collection of excerpts from a variety of women's written work.
The Untamed Shrews consist of 16 talented and outgoing women. The works they choose for their performances address the complex of issues and emotions which inform women's experiences.
The Shrews really convey a message when they act, and their meaningful performances reach out to the audience, evoking responses from laughter to embarrassment.
"I think it's a lot different for women to watch them than for men," Laura Lutsk '95 said.
Last night's performance was highlighted particularly by the short pieces: "The Shower," "AJudgement Call," "Mother of the Year" and "Barbie Doll".
Cresencia Spencer '95 was startlingly moving in "The Shower," a stream of consciousness soliloquy by a little girl who is being molested in the shower by her father. Sitting in a large chair, alternately squirming and recoiling, Spencer's discomfiture in a confined space seemed to be that of the girl she was portraying.
Surrounded by condemnation, Catharine Weiss '97 conveys the sentiments of an overweight woman ostracized not only by men, but by other women in "A Judgement Call".
Her flat, dejected tone of voice and her facial expressions admit the audience into the mindset of this obese woman, whose disappointment in herself is reinforced by the rejection she faces from others.
"Mother of the Year" takes a different tack, using humor to discuss the coping strategies of a working woman who divorces her husband and struggles to create a good life for her boys.
Reem Tarazi '97 and Ellen Sullivan '97 shine in this piece, conveying cynicism and self-affirming disdain for critics."The Mother's Aid committee has probably been calling me for years, I just haven't been home," Tarazi concludes with a knowing smile.
Heather McNemar '96, Robyn Murgio '97, and Vasanthi Lakshminarayan '97, performed in "Barbie Doll," a chilling and ironic piece about the self-fulfilling prophecy of suffering to be beautiful. The bland, matter of fact discussion and clever pantomime of a bright and strong young woman's quest to be rid of her "big nose and fat legs" underscored the dark irony of her achieving "beauty" only in death.
The Untamed Shrews perform with minimal props and scenery. The starkness of their surroundings focuses attention on the performers themselves.The Shrews harness emotion and raw honesty, incorporating it into their performance and energizing it.
With characteristic intensity and drive, the Shrews make sure all of the lines flow smoothly and in sync with each other.The well-rehearsed and impressively delivered performance does not fail to provoke thought in the audience.
The Shrews encouraged the audience to remain for the discussion which followed the performance. About half remained to ask questions and to discuss the content of the skits. The Untamed Shrews will be giving several other performances this term.
