Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST and SCHOOL GIRLS: Setting shows in the past to shed light on the present

• By drediman
• November 27, 2017
• No Comments

This weekend, I caught two new Off-Broadway plays that set shows in the past – and in one case in Africa – to shed light on the ongoing plight of women in the world.

Krysta Rodriguez and Marg Helgenberger in Theresa Rebeck’s “What We’re Up Against” at WP Theater.

First up was Theresa Rebeck’s dark comedy What We’re Up Against (RECOMMENDED), courtesy of WP Theater. Set in the the American Midwest circa 1992, the play tells the story of a Eliza, a talented, if temperamental, junior female architect who encounters escalating run-ins with her threatened work colleagues (not all of them men!). Ms. Rebeck’s writing here is reminiscent of her previous work (particularly Seminar); it’s observant and tightly-plotted, and features a strong woman’s perspective. Even if this latest play doesn’t show us anything new from this prolific playwright and therefore feels a tad formulaic, it’s sharply-written, as well as accessible and entertaining. Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt keeps things moving along at a nice pace (although I would have argued against including the intermission), and the cast does a commendable job, particularly Krysta Rodriguez, who here gives an aggressive, impassioned performance as Eliza. Skylar Astin is also effective as the smarmiest of her fellow architects. Rounding out the cast are Marg Helgenberger, Jim Parrack, and Damian Young – all very good.

The company of Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” at MCC Theater.

I also caught MCC’s production of Jocelyn Bioh’s riotous, vibrant School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). The play is set in 1980s Ghana, and it depicts an all-girls boarding school and the shake-up that ensues when a pretty and personable American girl transfers in. The play really is, as the title suggests, simply – and I think audaciously – the film Mean Girls set in west Africa. Ms. Bioh’s writing is joyous and alive, and often very funny. Her treatment of issues such as self image and notions of beauty is never forced and always compassionate. Rebecca Taichman, fresh from her deserving Tony win for Indecent, directs with brio and warmth. The production is a breath of fresh air that doesn’t shy away from unabashedly entertaining (the girls’ rendition of Whitney Houston’s indestructible “Greatest Love of All” is worth the price of admission all by itself). Which brings us to the cast, which is a knockout. MaameYaa Boafo, who plays Paulina (the play’s version of Regina George), in particular is giving a fierce performance.

WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST
Off-Broadway, Play
WP Theater
1 hour, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 3

SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
Off-Broadway, Play
MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through December 23