ENTERTAINMENT
Naked truth is seen in ten women's stories
JULY 22, 1994
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Clockwise from bottom: Virginia Drda, Deborah Edwards, Juliette Johnson, Joanne Arledge, Tandaylaya Hatten & Ksenia Roshchakovsky.
I Stand Before You Naked by Joyce Carol Oates CSU Factory Theater Through July 30
Reviewed by Doreen Cudnik
Joyce Carol Oates' I Stand Before You Naked, directed by Carla Dunlavey and Joanne Arledge, is an incredible play about ten women, each of whom struggles to come to terms with the circumstances of her life. Humorous, poignant, honest, and often brutal in its depiction of society's treatment of women, these stories stay with you long after you've left the theater.
Oates is one of the major writers of our time. Known primarily for her short stories and poetry, her first book, By The North Gate, was published in 1963. Since then, she has written over sixty books. She brings to her plays the same piercing scrutiny, seeking always to illuminate clearly the deepest recesses of the human soul.
In Naked, she invites us to see ten individual women in an entirely different light. The women walk out of the audience onto the stage and announce, "I stand before you naked..."Each woman then proceeds to tell us her story, baring her soul, and sharing with us her deepest, darkest secrets. These are no ordinary women, and their stories are not always easy to hear, but they came out from among us, giving the audience the eerie feeling of "This could be me, or a woman I love."
Oates comments, "I feel an enormous sympathy with people who've gone under, who haven't won even the smallest victories. They seek the same things we all do love, happiness, and most importantly, self respect."
The production stars Joanne Arledge, Juliette Johnson, Tandaylaya Hatten, Virginia Drda, Deborah Edwards, Mary Jane Nottage and Ksenia Roshchakovsky. All of the women in the production are accomplished actors, with credits locally as well as from other parts of the country. This was no amateurish production; on the contrary I was awed by the level of talent displayed. As each woman drew me in and breathed life into her character, I wondered how they must prepare themselves to convey such disturbing life stories. Particularly outstanding (and most chilling) was Tandaylaya Hatten in "Darling, I'm Telling You," Ksenia Roshchakovsky in "Good Morning, Good Afternoon," and Juliette Johnson in "Wife of."
In "Darling, I'm Telling You," Tandaylaya Hatten becomes Angel Eyes, an erotic dancer who is murdered by a man whom she has come to trust. "I love you guys watchin' me," Angel Eyes tells us, "It's better than any mirror. It's when the music stops that the trouble begins." This piece is not for the
squeamish. Tandaylaya acts out the murder with convincing clarity, and the voice of the murderer stayed with me for a long time. Very graphic, disturbing language is also used here.
Ksenia Roshchakovsky in "Good Morning, Good Afternoon," becomes Dottie, a faceless receptionist who doesn't like to rock the boat. "I'm not one of those feminists, those man-haters," she assures us. "You never hear me complain." But despite her pleasant demeanor, Dottie is haunted by a dream in which she has no face, no identity. Although she tries hard to convince us that "Exactly what you see, this is me!" we see nothing. What we do see is her safe, little world about to explode.
In the vignette "Wife of," Juliette Johnson portrays a sweet, likeable Southern woman who just happens to be married to Monroe Fisk, a mass murderer serving three consecutive life sentences. As she dresses to get ready for a visit with him at the penitentiary, she tells us excitedly about how she saw his picture in the paper, "and it was like the way, the truth and the light revealed itself to me and seared my soul." She faithfully attended his trial, and later begins corresponding with him in jail. "Oh, he's not a bad man," she smilingly tells us, "Those women and girls just pushed him too far." She hangs Christmas lights around the window, and "trusts Jesus" that someday soon the governor will pardon him, and the bright lights will welcome him home.
Near the end of the production we are reminded that even in our darkest hour, "There is always a sun." The women appear together on stage and again announce "I stand before
you naked..." but this time add, "Waiting to be loved thus saved." Here, love is equated with redemption, and deep down, I think that's all that any human being wants: to be loved and accepted.
While the cast consists of only women, this is not a "woman's play." This production speaks to us all, women, men, gay, straight. As the program notes eloquently state, "We learn from the characters that we must find new ways to redefine ourselves, that we must not let others define us. This is the journey of self-empowerment. We arrive at a place, finally, where we can stand souls bared, before ourselves and others, with no apologies, no subterfuge, but with acceptance, dignity, and love." Truly a message for everyone. ♡
I Stand Before You Naked runs through July 30 at the Factory Theater of Cleveland State University, at East 24th and Chester Ave. Call the Cleveland Theater Co. at 3714333 for ticket information.
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