Most Massive Woman Wins!

Last night, Travis and I went to see Most Massive Woman Wins! by the Peacock Theatre Company at the Hub.

One of the main things I had to get over in order to enjoy this production for what it was, was the fact that it describes a specific experience. When you study Bahamian literature, you become inundated with the notion that we need more theatre and literature that describes the Bahamian experience. This does not always have to be the experience of the Bahamian majority; in fact, we often criticize plays for being too stereotypical and focussing on lower income, inner-city issues.

That being said, Most Massive Woman Wins! was a collection of five short plays that looked at women's issues - namely body image, relationships, and sociopathic materialism. Issues typical of North American middle class women. This left me disappointed at first, since I thought the issues would be more universal. I suppose it was the kind of subject matter that can travel, which makes it universal in its own way.

In all, it was entertaining. A lot of it was supposed to be funny, but I have a tendency not to laugh at serious issues, even when they are almost being trivialized. By far, the best piece was the second, "Happy Talkin", where Melissa is waiting for her potential beau to call, but is bombarded by telephone solicitors who want to offer her better and better service for her patronage. It escalates from information about frequently dialed numbers to the offer of making someone want to call her. Though this was funny, the implications of big brother always watching and the level of control one has over their own life were major issues being explored here, which was fantastic.

My least favorite would be the final piece, "Dr Fritz or The Forces of Life", which was about a tourist seeking medical attention in a foreign country. Though the punchline had to do with spiritual healing, I didn't find it amusing that the piece made fun of third world healthcare. (We do live in the third world ourselves, with our tourist-based economy, but I digress.) It was somewhat orientalist in nature, which I find funny for a country that would be considered a part of the margin rather than the centre.

Aside from the expected overacting, the actresses were good. From a technical standpoint, I liked that they kept it simple in terms of lights, sound, costumes and set. What I do find somewhat indictable was the fact that they had a prime space like The Hub, but didn't utilize the possibilities. The play was presented traditionally with the actresses facing the audience. Without any kind of elevation, it would have done the players well to use a thrust or theatre in the round set-up. The audience would have seen a lot more of their movements and expressions, and that round style would have been perfect for their out of the box production.

In all, it was a good night of theatre, and we can look forward to the Peacock Theatre Company's hopeful development and improvement.