Sex and Sealing Wax

Taking its cue from Jane Martin's Talking With… and Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, Adam Burn and Romy Nordlinger's Sex and Sealing Wax is a series of monologues about women and women's identities as sexual and emotional beings throughout the 20^th century. Unfortunately, whereas the previous collections of monologues delved into the deeper meanings of stories and ideas, Sex and Sealing Wax remains largely superficial, relying on too many stereotypes and clichés to fulfill its potential.

Which is not to say, of course, that the play is not without heart and poignancy. Ms. Nordlinger and Mr. Burns do create some truly interesting characters—an elderly widow wise enough to celebrate the love she shared with her late husband, a jazzy flapper in the 20's, a Cockney housewife in the 60's, a philosophical Latina waitress—but they rarely get very far beneath the skin. Instead, the women (all played by Ms. Nordlinger in a variety of costumes and accents) tell their thoughts outright rather than showing them to us through hidden meanings and layers. For example, the English housewife says that a woman's lot is to care for her house and husband, and that the only reward she should want is his praise. If she merely suggested this opinion in the subtext of the monologue, rather than stating it outright, it would have much more of a dramatic impact.

Indeed, the overall lack of subtext is the show's greatest weakness, especially when scenes do show a glimmer of the subtlety that would make them more dramatic. For example, in the opening scene, a child praises the beauty of her Barbie, wishing to look more like the plastic doll. Nothing new there. But then the child then has her Ken doll graphically rape Barbie, innocently reflecting the misogyny around her and diving brilliantly into the twisted psyche of the little girl. Unfortunately, before we can learn more about the child's sado-sexual self-image, the scene ends, and we move on to another character.

Another memorable monologue is that of the Latina waitress, a young woman who is content with her choice to remain unencumbered by a husband or a white-collar job. While her self-assurance is refreshing after the near-constant self-loathing of the other monologues, it does seem somewhat clichéd that the one woman in the show not trying to be a size 2 or an ideal wife is Latina. But that's a small quibble; the waitress' Zen-like philosophy is smart and beautifully written, and the moment has the strength and emotion that should flow through all of the scenes. An extended video infomercial sketch featuring the "existential makeover" of Barbara to Barbie is too heavy-handed to make the impact it should, and, combined with the more effective monologues, feels like overkill.

In a way, the play seems like a showcase for Ms. Nordlinger to show off her range of accents. Ms. Nordlinger does well vocally, and does hit some bulls-eyes, but never quite finds the same range in her characters as she does in her accents.

With some revisions, Sex and Sealing Wax could rank with Talking With… and The Vagina Monologues as a fascinating look into women's minds.