Director Randi Jennifer Collins Hard stated in a recent press interview "Ovaries is in the same spirit as, but is completely different from, The Vagina Monologues." With The Vagina Monologues, I was tempted to revert to my old playwrighting days and come up with a script called The Penis Papers. But when I went to Parkland Theatre to see That Takes Ovaries! Bold Women and Their Brazen Acts, as a mere man, the best I could do is hold my breath as a sea of estrogen washed over me.

Not terribly dissimilar from The Exonerated, which was Parkland Theatre's first production of this season and also directed by Hard, this play was basically a series of dramatic and comic monologues. Perhaps because I am vehemently against capital punishment, I felt more at home with that play. At Ovaries, I felt definitely in the minority and just a bit intimidated. This is probably how I was intended to feel. Yet, I enjoyed the show, even though it did have a few flaws. I felt the introduction by way of Richard Strauss' "Dawn" from Thus Spake Zarathustra, did not quite fit, and would have much rather heard Helen Reddy's I Am Woman.

The twenty or so monologues ranged from espousal abuse to teen-aged rebellion to cancer survival, death, gay pride and skimpy clothes worn by fat women. Some made you cringe while others made you cry and still others made you laugh. For the men in the audience, many made us uneasy. The quality of the acting was good but uneven. There were a few too many stumbled lines for what one expects from a Parkland production, especially one directed by Hard. Also, arm gestures by the less experienced cast members seemed to be only from the elbow down, while the upper arms were held tightly against the upper body, thus making the player seem terribly mechanical. Some of the acting by the more experienced cast members, however, reached truly enviable heights.

Costuming, while simple, was effective and appropriate. The same can be said of the descending set, although I will admit, a few of the iconic renderings, such as a man's necktie, left me a bit confused. Bernie Wolff's lighting worked extremely well.

It is difficult to maintain audience interest over ninety minutes with what are basically monologues, but, like The Exonerated, earlier in the year, Ovaries managed to pull it off. And the largely female audience gave the totally female ensemble cast a thundering applause at the end, let alone applause after each monologue. According to the house manager, this production is selling out fast, so do not terry in reserving tickets.

The production was followed by an "open mic" session in which the audience was asked to come up and tell of their own experiences with bold females and their brazen acts. Many did, both female and male, and many of their stories seemed to be a continuation of the play, itself.

In summing up, I would say that all of the characters in the cast seemed to band together, as the play became a unified whole which was greater than the sum of its parts, as the characters, like Kipling's Colonel's Lady and Judy O'Grady, became sisters under their skins.

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