Just entertainment
Revolting women share limelight
There's a revolution going on at the New Rose Theatre ,
and you shouldn t miss it!
B Y SANDRA D E HELEN
his One Thin# I Do, written by
T
Claire Braz-Valentine in collabora
tion with director Michael Griggs
brings to life two of the greatest political
activists in U.S. history: Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Most of us have at least heard of Susan
B. — wasn't she the one who took an axe
to taverns way back when? And, maybe
she was a suffragist or something, and oh,
yeah, she was on some coin that didn’t
work out.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B.
Anthony were fast friends and collabo
rators for more than fifty years. They were
both outraged at the injustice of women’s
suppression from the moment they recog
nized it as very young girls. They met
when Susan heard Elizabeth speak for wo
men’s equality at an Anti-slavery Anni
versary in Syracuse, New York. At that
point Susan left the temperance movement
(where she had made her mark) for the
women’s movement. Their history together
was a long and wonderful one, with one
central, burning theme. Equality for
women (of which the vote was one small
part).
Elizabeth was married to abolitionist
Henry Stanton. They had seven children.
Susan never married, so was free to travel
the country delivering the “ thunderbolts”
forged by Elizabeth. At times, Elizabeth
also travelled and spoke, bringing her
children along.
This One Thing I Do breathes life into
the sluggish women’s movement today.
Here are Elizabeth and Susan B. larger
than life, speaking again the words that
fired our great-grandmothers into action.
To see them, feel their energy (I know they
are “ only” actors, but / felt the presence
of Susan and Elizabeth), to see their tears
of passion and sorrow, is to feel what they
felt and to wonder at the absolute fact that
women still do not have equal rights under
the Constitution.
Kathleen Worley is Susan; Diane Olson
is Elizabeth. Both women are perfectly
cast, and as mentioned, absolutely repre
sent their characters.
The entire cast does a fine job. Joel
Applegate stepped in five days before pre
view to substitute for ailing Sam A.
Mowry. He plays Henry Stanton and gives
a long impassioned closing argument to
Susan’s jury, as Councillor Selden.
Plaudits for Joel.
Michael Griggs is to be commended for
adopting a policy (we hope it’s a policy) of
casting based on skill rather than color. As
ethnic minorities have been saying all
along, the audiences will accept Black
(Chicano/Asian/Arabian) actors in
“ white” roles— if you’ll only put them
onstage.
D ia n e O lson as Elizabeth C a d y Stanton, Kevin Leinbach as Arthur Brenton a n d Kathleen
W orley as Susan B. Anthony in This One Thing I Do at New Rose Theater.
Susan L. Bonde’s costumes work
wonderfully — they’re designed for quick
change and transition from one scene to
another. The fabrics are lush and the de-
signs correct for the periods covered.
The set design by Jeff Seats is also de
Lesbian play to premier in Portland V T
‘
BY
Mr
Holly
with
JOHN
BUCCHINO
ANO^
•
Cm
With
Willi
TRET FU R E and CARRIE BARTON
Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium
Friday, May 8 • 8 pm
Tickets $12.50 Reserved
Available at the Civic Auditorium Box Office.
G.l. Joes. Jean Machine at the Galleria and
A Women s Place Bookstore Charge by phone 248-4496.
Just Out.
fß.
It's a not necessarily-politically-correct-lesbian-
feminist-mystery-farce ’ says the playwright .
Ej W E S T L A K E
istorically, musical comedies with
large casts offered simple story
lines with at least one or two
romantic sub-plots. As society became a
little more sophisticated, the sub-plots of
boy-meets-girl evolved into boy-meets-
boy or girl-meets-girl, but often it was a
very under-played sub-sub-plot. Or
worse, innuendoes were carefully placed
within the text so that only those who
“ spoke the language” spotted the possible
J.O .: But don’t you miss working with
gay or lesbian character. A new play will
men/
change all that. It’s called a “ not-necessar-
P .: Who sent this woman to ask these silly
il\-politicallv-correct-lesbian-feminist-
questions?
mystery-farce.” Sounds pretty incredible
J.O .: Some people seem to feel that com
to me, but a mystery with a lesbian cast
edy is not an art form to be taken seriously.
will be presented at Portland State at the
What are your feelings on that?
end of this month.
P.: Hey, I’ve been studying this stuff for a
When I finally got the playwright on the
long time and comic theory is no laughing
phone (and, by the way, she’s nearly im
matter. It’s a very serious art form.
possible to get ahold of) I was able to ask
J.O .: Well, we’ve been having this inter
her a few questions about her play, The
view for a few minutes now and I have to
Foofy, Open-Toed Shoe.
know — who are you, anyway?
P.: I’m you, you nit! You’re talking to
Just Out: What exactly is a “ not-necessar-
yourself again.
ily-politicallv-correct-lesbian-feminist-
mystery-farce"?
The Foofy, Open-Toed Shoe, by Ej
Playwright: It’s twenty women frantically
Westlake plays May 28,29, and 30 at 8:00
running around Portland looking for a per
p.m. in the studio theatre, Lincoln Hall at
formance space. That’s a farce, all right.
Portland State University. The play is un
J.O .: Don’t you feel the absence of male
der the direction of Karen Thurow and is a
characters is discriminatory to male actors? WACKO (Womyn’s Acting Company and
P.: No.
Komedy Organization) production,
J.O .: Is the cast really made up entirely of
co-sponsored by the PSU Lesbian Alliance.
women?
Admission is on a sliding scale. For more
P.: There’s a dog in it, too.
information call 236-5717.
•
H
THE GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC H A LL PRESENTS
signed for scene flow and simultaneous
scenes — and is just right! Ditto for the
lighting by Jeff Forbes.
The last time Susan B. Anthony came to
Portland was in 1905. You probably
missed it. Please don’t miss her this time. •