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.

The Wolves **** A-

The Playwrights Realm is a theater company, now in its tenth year, with a clear mission: developing and presenting first-rate productions of plays by emerging playwrights. Every Fall they present a play by a newcomer (e.g. Elizabeth Irwin’s My Mañana Comes). The lucky playwright receives a year-long residency with substantial perks. In the Spring they offer a play by one of their alumni playwrights (e.g. Anna Ziegler’s A Delicate Ship). The latest evidence that they have found a winning formula is this debut work by Sarah DeLappe now at the Duke on 42nd Street. The title refers to an indoor soccer team of nine adolescent — 17-ish — suburban girls whom we see mostly during their pre-game warm-ups and practice sessions. The play opens with two overlapping conversations, one about the Khmer Rouge, the other about feminine hygiene products. As the play progresses, we observe how each player attempts to navigate the difficult shoals between girlhood and womanhood, moving between personal concerns and the world at large. Although each one has her moment, some characters are developed more fully than others. I had some trouble remembering who was who, especially since they are only identified by the numbers on their identical uniforms. The numbers are often hard to see and there are strong physical resemblances among a few of the actors. The emphasis is not on plot, although there is a major offstage development that propels the last section of the play. The cast (Brenna Coates, Jenna Dioguardi, Samia Finnerty, Midori Francis, Lizzy Jutila, Sarah Mezzanotte, Tedra Millan, Lauren Patten and Susannah Perkins as the team members and Mia Barron as a soccer mom) is outstanding, individually and collectively. The ensemble work in their drills is amazing (and looks exhausting). Director Lila Neugebauer (The Wayside Motor Inn) certainly knows how to manage a lot of people onstage at once. Laura Jelinek’s scenic design features an astroturf field, brightly lit by Lap Chi Chu, flanked by facing stadium seating. Asta Bennie Hotsetter’s costumes looked like authentic uniforms. Although I found the final part of the play a bit manipulative (and I wished that the armless wooden seats were more comfortable), my overall impression was highly favorable. I look forward to Sarah DeLappe’s future work, as well as The Playwrights Realm’s Spring alumni production — The Moors by Jen Silverman. Running time: 90 minutes; no intermission.