You would think a play called "Clitoris Stories" would be more, well, stimulating. Instead, the entire production airs like a bad episode of Tyra Banks's talk show, hosted by slumber-partying tweens who have just discovered their anatomy and need to giggle about it for two hours.
Written by Tina Haglund, who says that Vagina Monologues "kind of misses the point," "Clitoris Stories" is a shallow, misguided knock-off, with "monologues" addressed to the cast members on stage rather than the audience, and sketches that focus on masturbation, faking orgasms, history and a call to arms to talk more openly about the clitoris. Audience members were asked if they would "admit to the clit" and "take their shit for the clit," (which was, I'm pretty sure, Obama's second choice for a campaign slogan, after "Yes We Can").
There's nothing revolutionary about the concept of the clitoris, which the play describes as "the last female taboo," but it's treated as such, with ample bitterness about the men who can't find it, and terrible puns ("clit chat," "here's the rub," etc.) followed by canned laughter from cast members at how "hilarious" it all is. To top it off, they throw in an offensive sketch about Native Americans (or "Crazy Indian Lady" as one of them is referred to in the program) and a musical ditty about clitorectomy. While the practice of surgically removing a woman's clitoris is obviously deplorable, four white aristocrats singing about it is not only patronizing but also a pitiable attempt at addressing a serious issue, and insensitive to cultures they deem "inferior" to their own. The self-congratulatory tone of "Clitoris Stories" does not aid womankind in its quest for sexual satisfaction or empowerment. It also doesn't speak to a majority of women who aren't white, straight and resentful. It's fitting that "Clitoris Stories" focuses so much on self-pleasure because the play is exactly that: theatrical masturbation.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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