Written by Clare Booth Luce in 1936, this play follows the catty machinations and domestic heartbreak of a group of upper class "frenemies." Much of the play takes place in feminized settings like the manicurist and the dress salon as protagonist Mary learns through the grapevine that her husband is cheating on her with a shop girl. "The Women" features the first dramatization of the "Reno Divorce" trend that began in the 1930s. While the themes of "The Women" are not particularly modern or empowering, the play's witty banter is timeless. A Broadway revival was staged in 2001 featuring actresses Cynthia Nixon and Rue McClanahan.
This Pulitzer-winning play by Paul Zindel tells the story of a small dysfunctional family consisting of a mother and her two daughters. Beatrice, the mother, is mentally ill and a heavy drinker, and the oldest daughter Ruth frequently suffers from seizures. The play's protagonist is the youngest daughter Tillie, who has a sensitive disposition and a talent for science. Gamma Rays brings to mind the lyrical domestic dramas of Tennessee Williams.
"Talking With" is a collection of monologues by Jane Martin, allegedly the pen name for former Actor's Theater of Louisville artistic director Jon Jory. Alternately whimsical, bleak and transcendent, the play's characters are all in the throes of some obsession. The monologues include "Handler," which tells the story of a family's fundamentalist religion and a girl's sense of duty to her father, and "Scraps," which is about one woman's childlike obsession with Frank Baum's books. The pieces show different phases in a woman's life, from eager-to-please daughter to family caretaker.
Set in the South and featuring equal parts homespun wisdom and beauty-parlor gossip, this play by Robert Harling was made into a popular movie starring Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts. Probably best characterized as a "dramedy," "Steel Magnolias" spirals quickly from heartbreak to hilarity and back again. The play is similar to "The Women" in that it incorporates subject matter traditionally viewed as feminine and is set in a gossipy beauty parlor. However, in this play traditional female character traits are cast in a positive light. "Steel Magnolias" emphasizes a woman's ability to form deep friendships and to show emotional strength in the face of adversity.
This Pulitzer winner is a tour de force for two actresses. Set in "real time," the play follows a mother and daughter over the course of one evening. The dramatic tension results from the threat of the daughter fulfilling a promise to commit suicide at the end of the night. The play was written by Marsha Norman, who also won a Tony for "The Secret Garden."