Review: The Vagina Monologues, Alma Tavern Theatre

With deeply moving stories, laugh-out-loud moments and copious use of the word ‘cunt’, The Vagina Monologues certainly packs a powerful punch.

Written by Eve Ensler and depicting the divergent tales of women and girls from all walks of life, the play was first performed in 1996, when it was credited with breaking the taboo on a formerly forbidden topic.

More than 20 years on, Stepping Out Theatre prove that the material is as relevant today, with a production that is thought-provoking, funny, cringeworthy at times and with a few Bristol references thrown in for good measure – the latter prompting some of the loudest laughs.

With some slightly dubious lip-syncing to a feelgood soundtrack, the all-female cast, clad in shades of red, gradually fill the tiny stage of the Alma Tavern Theatre, which is minimally set with stools and a projected image as the backdrop.

“If your vagina could speak what would it say?”, is the question posed by the women. It’s an effective way of easing into a topic that is still an uncomfortable one for many and it raises some easy laughs from the mainly-female audience, with a collective chorus of “slow down” as one of the answers.

The production really comes into its own with the start of the monologues, a heady mix of humorous, poignant, shocking and entirely relatable stories, poems and facts, beautifully portrayed with little more than a stool as a prop.

Wendy Murphy puts in a stellar performance, and maintains an impressive American accent, with The Flood, a story of desire and shame as told by an elderly woman, that manages to be both funny and desperately sad.

This paves the way for a series of brilliantly-acted solos. Emma Stadon stands out for her perfectly-timed tale of an ordinary man called Bob who loved to look at vaginas, thus changing the attitude of the storyteller to her own body.

Spirits lift with a fantastically feisty poem, My Short Skirt, preceded by a collective reclaiming of the word ‘cunt’ as it was chanted throughout the small space, only for the mood to sink with Julia Cawte’s raw and all-too-real portrayal of domestic abuse in Crooked Braid.

In The Woman who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy, Cher Douglas performs the role of a tax lawyer-turned-sex worker and creates an onstage orgasm to rival Meg Ryan’s famous scene from When Harry Met Sally.

A collective telling of the tragic tale of ‘comfort women’, forced to work as sex slaves by the Japanese military in World War Two, is the heart-wrenching penultimate act, followed by Li Sah Stuart’s flawless and funny performance of Coochie Snorcher.

The strong ending to a mighty fine collection of monologues is only a little marred by the lack of interval which – in the small theatre’s ever-increasing heat – makes the two-hour show feel quite long. By the end, my vagina – if it could speak – would be crying out for some air and a cold drink!

It is testament to the fantastic performers, though, that this did little to detract the enthusiasm of an audience swept up in the joyous and eye-opening genital romp.

All proceeds from this week’s performances will go towards three Bristol women’s charities: The Hope Project, Self Injury Support and The Green House Womankind

What’s more, Stepping Out is seeking to create the male counterpart to The Vagina Monologues: Cocktales (of course!). Any men brave enough to take part in a penis interview, get in touch online.

The Vagina Monologues is at Alma Tavern and Theatre until Saturday, October 28. For more information, visit www.almatavernandtheatre.co.uk/theatre/what-s-on.html

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