Crooked

I read a rave review about Crooked in the New York Times a few weeks ago, so I bought two tickets.  Crooked is the latest production being put on through Women’s Project, a non profit organization that has been around for 30 years.  They support, commission, mentor and are advocates for women using theater as their medium. 

It is the first time I have seen a play there and it was quite impressive.  The play, written by Catherine Trieschmann and directed by Liz Diamond, is a gem.  There are three characters.  A mother, a daughter and the daughters friend.  All the actors were excellent particularly Betsey Aidem who plays the mother. 

A mother and daughter relocate to the home that the mother grew up in.  Uprooting their lives from Wisconsin to somewhere in the south.  Her husband is very sick and she has moved on for a variety of reasons.  The daughter, who is 14, is trying to figure out who she is.  She is incredibly smart and a short story writer.  She befriends a girl at school who is a daughter of a preacher and the first thing that comes out of her mouth when they meet is "do you love Jesus"?  As the daughter tries to find herself, perhaps she is a lesbian, perhaps she has now taken to being reborn, the mother tries to be open yet there is also the underlying anger about her father.  It is the ultimate in teenage angst, gender issues,  growing up, trying to find yourself and dealing with your past for all the characters. 

Jessica loved it.  She is taking a gender class now in English and hopes to get her teacher and class there before the play closes.  Lots there for discussion. 

A very thought provoking play about the world today.  A winner.