Playwright: Tina Haglund . At: A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Co. at Cornservatory, 4210 N. Lincoln. Info: 773-418-4475; $13-$15. Runs through: July 12
"Why do you have see that!?" and "Couldn't they have assigned a woman?"
Some of my gay male friends asked these questions as I tried to drum up a theater companion ( in vain ) to accompany me to A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Co.'s world premiere of Tina Haglund's Clitoris Stories.
Yes, I'm probably not the intended audience demographic for this play, nor can I apply its lessons to my everyday life. But, hey, it did broaden my horizons.
After a brief prologue where the women ( identified in the program as numbered Clitorises ) chime in on the play's title, playwright Haglund provides a monologue explaining why she felt it was vital to write Clitoris Stories.
Haglund openly acknowledges the influence of Eve Ensler's groundbreaking The Vagina Monologues. Yet Haglund felt that the pleasure-producing clitoris ( which she pronounces to rhyme with Delores ) was neglected and deserved its own exploratory play.
Alas, what Clitoris Stories only reinforces is how the one-act Vagina Monologues is a better piece of theater. Clitoris Stories frequently feels repetitious and lasts almost two hours and 30 minutes.
While Clitoris Stories does contain a few comedy gems and serious pieces that prove entertaining and enlightening, some pieces drone on too long. Haglund also draws too often from the theme of "Stupid men! The clitoris is located here!"
Director Michael Buino should have tightened up the long scene changes or simplified the staging. The idea of having all the women sitting in to listen shows solidarity, but the unused actresses could really be offstage readying the next scene.
Haglund's approach to some of the topics is also questionable, particularly genital mutilation in Africa. Haglund confounds expectations by showing four white colonialists in 1920s garb singing a silly ditty questioning what is to be done about those natives' strange practices. It's far too glib for such a serious topic.
And with such a strong emphasis on taking the penis out of the equation, Clitoris Stories slights lesbians and their experiences with only cursory shout-outs.
The 11-member cast is good with a few standouts. Allison Paige is very funny as the celebrity Clitoris on a chat show, while Jenn-Anne is hilarious as an outraged woman who finds cheesy late-night TV to be so educational about the clitoris.
The "Clitoris Supporters" of Tim Ballard and Steve Truncale also brighten up every scene they appear in, even though they're not well-integrated well into the show's staging concept.
Unless Haglund can reduce the cast size or trim at least 30 minutes from the show, Clitoris Stories probably won't have much of an afterlife. That would be a shame, since its educational pro-sex information would be a great help to many women and their lovers.