Her Naked Skin
Written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Directed by Roger Smart
at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont (map)
thru June 3 | tickets: $18-$34 | more info
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Forbidden love amid the fight for women’s rights
Shattered Globe Theatre presents
Her Naked Skin
Review by J.H. Palmer
Rebecca Lenkiewicz’ play, Her Naked Skin, premiered in 2008 at the National Theatre in London, and is notable as the first play performed on the Olivier stage by a living female playwright. Based on the book “Shoulder to Shoulder” by Midge Mackenzie, the piece explores the lives and works of leading British suffragettes through fictional characters.
The action begins with a demonstration for women’s suffrage where the principal characters meet: Celia Cane (Linda Reiter) an aging matron, and Eve Douglas (Sheila O’Connor), a young factory worker. The group breaks windows as a demonstration, and is summarily arrested and taken to prison, where they face sentences several months long. Celia and Eve are assigned as cellmates, and being the elder of the two, Celia imparts wisdom to her young cohort.
Celia’s husband, William Cain (Tim Newell) arrives at the prison unannounced, surprising the audience as much as Celia herself – just moments earlier she’d told Eve that she had never married, and was a virgin, when in fact she is the mother of 7 and wife of an MP! The relationship between Celia and William is tense, but not without moments of tenderness, and completely believable. Their arguments are terse and snippy, with dialog like: “I have a brilliant sense of humor, it simply eludes you.” The language throughout the piece is dry and witty, and a delight to the ear. At one point Celia remarks: “Adam and Eve would have smashed each other’s skulls with spades.”
One of the few tools available to the British suffragette movement is hunger strikes by prisoners, which are responded to by force-feeding at the hands of prison guards and doctors, a procedure enacted onstage in what is the most compelling scene in the play.
There is a boy’s club feel to the PM sessions that feel genuine and hearty; British Parliamentary procedure has always seemed like a spectacle, with the heckling, the one-upping, and the ribbing. On the floor of the Parliament is the issue of women’s suffrage, and the cast does a tremendous job of bringing these scenes to life.
The relationship between Celia and Eve is surprising and subversive in the context of the time, and of the characters’ respective situations. There is lustiness between Celia and Eve that is sustained, and one becomes sympathetic to their impossible situation.
Her Naked Skin is as much an exploration of relationships as it is of the women’s suffrage movement in England, with Celia and Eve’s connection, and Celia and William’s connection at the forefront of this exploration. Supporting the principals are a capable cast which includes Maya Friedler as Mrs. Shliefke, the elder suffragette in the group, Jesse Thurston as Guard/MP, and Drew Schad as Edward Grey/Dr. Vale.
Lindsay Schmeling’s costume design and Kathy Logelin’s work as Dialect Coach add authenticity to the production, and allow the audience to experience the story seamlessly. Shattered Globe has created a heartfelt, informative story through this complex production; one that will leave you wondering about women’s roles in society, past and present.
Rating: ★★★½
Her Naked Skin continues through June 3rd at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $18-$34, and are available by phone (773-327-5252) or online at Stage773.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at ShatteredGlobe.org. (Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, includes 15-minutes intermission)
All photos by Kevin Viol
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