A performance of many parts - cabaret, musical, polemic, consciousness raising and more - that rattles along at a rapid pace that can leave the audience behind at times.
Hysteria and hysterectomy both derive from the ancient Greek word for uterus, and the central theme here is the inherent misogyny in our culture and society, and the damage that continues to cause. From Hippocrates through the use of 'hysteria' as a medical catch-all diagnosis for women who didn't fit into the 'correct' social mould, and on into 20th century popular culture where to be female is so often to be portrayed as weak, dependent, unstable, with the example of Trump to show how little progress has been made. Included are testimonies from women who have been sexually assaulted and how their experiences, and their difficulties in finding an understanding ear, have been so injurious to their mental health. It ended on a moving performance of Milck's 'Quiet', which has been adopted as an anthem for women's empowerment.
It's a fine ensemble performance from the cast of three, Annie Grace, Maryam Hamidi and an impressively androgynous George Brennan, and they provided plenty of laughs and visual stimulation (aided by a few visual elements on the screen behind them). But the script never quite seems to know what it's trying to deliver, even if the ultimate destination is clear enough. The opening quickfire statements take a while to catch on to, the aerobics routine brings an element of farce, but there's also a solo proclamation that smacks more of the lecture hall than the stage. These swings from ephemeral to heavy handed made watching a confusing experience at times.
Despite these criticisms the show never felt like a drag and the time passed quickly, and everyone watching will have taken away something new in their thinking. It might all be a bit of a curate's egg, but it's a worthy attempt to tackle a subject that needs to be raised and raised and raised again.
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