Usual Girls

C

At the risk of being branded a sexist, I think that Ming Peiffer’s new play at Roundabout Underground’s Black Box Theatre holds greater appeal for women than for men. It charts the course of female sexuality, as lived by Kyeoung, a Korean-American girl, from prepubescence to early adulthood. The enthusiastic response several scenes evoked from female audience members suggests that the playwright got many things right. From third-grade playground antics to a pajama party for girls on the verge of puberty to mean girls acting out in high school to a druggy collegiate visit to New York on to a personal #MeToo story and quotidian indignities, Kyeoung (Midori Francis; The Wolves) does not have it easy. It was unclear to me whether her shunning was due solely to racism or also to her personality. Her sometime friends Anna (Abby Corrigan), Lindsay (Nicole Rodenburg; The Antipodes), Marina (Ali Rose Dachis; Fish in the Dark), Sasha (Sofia Black-D’Elia) and a sorority sister (Ryann Redmond; Escape to Margaritaville) are nicely differentiated. We also meet Rory (Raviv Ullman; Russian Transport), a boy who enjoys taunting her, and her father (Karl Kenzler; Fiddler on the Roof), a bitter drunk who showed her his porno magazines at a tender age. Last but by no means least is the wonderful Jennifer Lim (Chinglish) playing an older version of Kyeoung. While I rarely enjoy watching adults portray children, I thought these energetic actors carried it off well. Be forewarned that the language is often explicit and there is considerable nudity. I’m not a prude, but watching a girl’s first pubic shave is not my idea of entertainment. Kyeoung’s difficulty in remembering the details of her rape provides an eerie echo of Dr. Blasey Ford’s recent testimony. There are many lively moments but somehow the result seems less than the sum of its parts. The simple set by Arnulfo Maldonado (Bobby Clearly) is quite functional. The costumes by Asta Bennie Hostetter (Miles for Mary) are age-appropriate to each scene. Tyne Rafaeli’s (I Was Most Alive with You) direction is assured. Running time: one hour 40 minutes; no intermission.