- Women Behind Bars
.
A camp spoof of the
exploitation films produced by Universal, Warner's, andRepublic Pictures in the 1950s, thisblack comedy is set in the Women's House of Detention inGreenwich Village . Among the range of social and psychological types imprisoned within its walls are an innocent young woman (framed by her husband on a charge of armed robbery), who is brutalized, betrayed and sexually assaulted throughout her eight years of incarceration (she is ultimately broken by the system and leaves jail a hard-edged, gum-chomping drug dealer), a chain-smoking, gum-snapping street-wise tough girl, and a delicateSouthern belle reminiscent of Blanche DuBois. Lording over all is the sadistic matron and her tough-as-nails sidekick.The subtle hints of
lesbianism found in the original B-movies are played broadly for laughs throughout. The "New York Times " described it as "an extraordinarily interesting work from one of America's most innovative and versatile playwrights." [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E5DD173BF934A15756C0A962948260] The play has been translated intoHebrew [http://www.proz.com/pro/99490] , and Eyen and Devine wrote a 1978 sequel called "The Neon Woman" that was produced inSan Francisco .The original production at the
off-Broadway Astor Place Theatre opened onMay 1 1975 . Revived the following year at theTruck and Warehouse Theatre withunderground film star/drag queen Divine as the matron, it quickly developed acult following and became a smash hit; secondary productions inLos Angeles andLondon enjoyed extended runs. It remains a popular choice ofgay repertory companies, such as San Francisco'sTheatre Rhinoceros .External links
* [http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=3128 Lortel archives listing]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E5DD173BF934A15756C0A962948260 1984 NY Times review]
* [http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s188.html Review of Theatre Rhinoceros production]
* [http://www.rudeguerrilla.org/2006season/women/womenreview.html Reviews of a 2006 production]
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