SLUMBER PARTY IN A DANGEROUS LAND
Theatre Wyrzuc at Too Far West Coffeehouse
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Theatre Wyrzuc’s Slumber Party in a Dangerous Land, performed at the Too Far West Coffeehouse, is a howling rage. It takes the issue of rape and violence against women and smashes it over our heads. By the end of the evening we know the victims’ acute pain, mixed with an occasional desire for “a proper, perfect revenge.” It’s not a comfortable feeling: Slumber Party is a raw, disturbing play that lingers in our psyche for a long time.
Brian Kirst’s script is difficult to pull off, composed entirely of poems and having little back-and-forth dialogue. The premise is even a bit weak: a group of actresses in B-grade horror/sex movies decide they’ve had enough of being exploited and create a rebellious but successful touring variety show. Conflict arises when they perform in the backward town where one of the women grew up. The men there, thinking they’re going to see a girlie show, are angered when it turns out to be a political revue about sexual discrimination and abuse. They riot during the performance, and afterward they vent their anger on the women by raping them. The women then take their revenge.
All of the stories are true, but they seem removed from their source, lacking the jittery passions that accompany such decisions. Unlike Slumber Party in a Dangerous Land, A Few Simple Truths doesn’t force you to confront its issues from any particular angle.
