This was not going to a conventional talk back, we were told. We had witnessed a luminous Christine Lahti enact one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century, and now we were invited to participate in the second act. The result was an outpouring of admiration for the play\u2019s subject, as well as anguish, fear, and fury at the current state of affairs from a decidedly progressive audience. There was also reason to hope.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n .@GloriaSteinem<\/a> surprised tonight\u2019s audience of GLORIA: A LIFE to lead a 2nd act talking circle, saying \u201cOur ability to decide over our own bodies is the basis of democracy.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/dYEnFneFtI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Naveen Kumar (@Mr_NaveenKumar) October 18, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n That came from Steinem herself, who frequently assumed the role of comforting distraught viewers who expressed near panic about America\u2019s present and future \u2014 having just seen on stage how far we\u2019d come in the past. Through tears, a 24-year-old female<\/a> journalist shared that, as a sexual assault survivor, she had felt triggered by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh following credible accusations of attempted rape. Steinem replied that she and the tearful audience member need each other; she needs young women<\/a> to continue the fight when she\u2019s gone, and a new generation of feminists needs Steinem to remind them of a time when things were far worse.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Later on across the room, another woman<\/a> reporter stood up and shared how traumatic it can be to cover the news at a time when exposing assault has become such a big part of the job. Speaking directly to her distraught colleague on the opposite side of the stage, she offered to keep in touch so they might find solace in solidarity. <\/span><\/p>\n A woman<\/a> who looked to be in her 60s recalled that she had never considered any limitations to what she could achieve because of her sex<\/a>. Only over the past couple<\/a> of years did she reflect back and realize what a privilege that had been \u2014 and that she had Steinem to thank for it. She didn\u2019t seem to have imagined ever having the chance to do so in person. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The sweep of Steinem\u2019s legacy is the subject of Emily Mann\u2019s play, directed with an earnest warmth by Diane Paulus. From her Smith College days and her ascension as a journalist to her rallying activism and the founding of <\/span>Ms. <\/span><\/i>magazine, Mann\u2019s story rides the swell and crest of second wave feminism with occasional detours into Steinem\u2019s private life. Most touching is Steinem\u2019s caregiving relationship with her mother, a former journalist who married the wrong man<\/a> and became a near-invalid from medication prescribed for what was then presumed to be a nervous breakdown. Only after her mother\u2019s death did Steinem realize she was living the life her mother never could.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n A diverse ensemble of women<\/a> play various roles in Steinem\u2019s life, from men<\/a> who tried to keep her down to fellow trailblazers like Dorothy Pitman-Hughes and congresswoman Bella Abzug. If <\/span>Gloria<\/span><\/i> presents an uncomplicated view of an undoubtedly complex woman<\/a>, such freedom from ambivalence works to unite viewers behind a common cause that\u2019s urgent as ever. Not that many in the audience seemed to need convincing.<\/span><\/p>\n What we left with was fuel. It was as though we\u2019d warmed our hands around a glorious flame and were ready face the cold once more. The worst times always come after victory, Steinem told us, but we are in the majority. Don\u2019t worry about what you should do, she said \u2014 do what you can do. We each took a pledge to do one outrageous thing the very next morning, before heading back out into the night.<\/span><\/p>\n Recent theatre features\u2026 Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar The post The Legacy of Gloria Steinem Burns Bright in \u2018Gloria: A Life\u2019 Off-Broadway: REVIEW<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Stockard Channing and Glenn Close Make Magic of Maternal Strife Off-Broadway: REVIEW<\/a>
Gay Romance Blooms Atop a Baby Grand in New Musical \u2018Midnight at the Never Get\u2019 \u2014 REVIEW<\/a>
Jomama Jones Is a Spiritual Mother for the Moment in \u2018Black Light\u2019 \u2014 REVIEW<\/a>
\u2018What the Constitution Means to Me\u2019 Is the Best Political Play of the Trump Era: REVIEW<\/a>
Trans Representation Comes at a Price in \u2018The Nap\u2019 on Broadway: REVIEW<\/a>
Dangerous Nostalgia Gets a Glow Up in \u2018Pretty Woman: The Musical\u2019 on Broadway: REVIEW<\/a>
New Musical \u2018Be More Chill\u2019 Is Like an Incel\u2019s Answer to \u2018Mean Girls\u2019: REVIEW<\/a>
New Go-Go\u2019s Musical \u2018Head Over Heels\u2019 Is a Goddamn Queer Delight: REVIEW<\/a>
Get in, Losers: The \u2018Mean Girls\u2019 Musical Is Fun as Hell: REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/a><\/em>(photos: joan marcus)<\/p>\n