BWW Reviews: THE OLDEST PROFESSION Misses the Mark

Paula Vogel's play, THE OLDEST PROFESSION, is set in 1981, shortly after the election of Ronald Reagan. Set in a park, the play examines the lives of five 'working girls' at the end of their very long careers. The "girls" are Mae, a madam, and her stable: Ursula, Lillian, Vera and Edna. In between appointments with their gentlemen, the women reminisce about their early days in New Orleans' Storyville and review their finances and options today. Their clients are literally a dying breed: one has been kidnapped by his children, another thinks it's 1940 and is paying with silk stockings, some are hospitalized and may not be coming out. The financial situation is grave for Mae's stable. These girls aren't getting any younger.

Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Vogel has employed the device of these elderly prostitutes to examine the economics of women in a male society, our need for security in our old age, fears of death and change, and the concept that a woman's body may, in the end, be her best bargaining chip.

The five actresses who portray Vogel's hookers deliver top rate performances. Marijean Schindler, Mary Kennelly, Linda Bradshaw, BJ Machalicek and Georgia Medler all inhabit their characters beautifully and do a fine job. These women have the timing, poise and stage presence that comes from a life in theatre. I am less sure of Olin Meadows' direction and the dragged in musical numbers that bring the dramatic flow of the evening to a screeching halt.

The whole evening suffers from a lack of pacing and tension. When we should be seeing cat fights when it comes to the finances and client scheduling, we get slightly raised voices. When the women do their musical swan songs, we have to sit through long scene changes both before and after the mostly excruciating musical moments. I know other productions have been done where the actresses who could not sing were given a dance or something else to do. Form is uneasily dictating content here.

THE OLDEST PROFESSION'S mix of social commentary and musical interludes is clearly Vogel's attempt at modern Brecht. There is a bit of disconnect between her analytical shell and the warm fuzzy sentimentality Vogel slips into. The emphasis on concept over character no doubt accounts in part for the unease of this production.
What we as an audience are given is sitcom cuteness instead of Marxian earnestness.

The lighting design of Jeff Davis is quite effective, especially in the other worldly transitions.

Still, even in bordello drag, it is to the credit of the actresses that none of the hookers come across as mere jokes. It is refreshing to find forthright sensuality in five actresses eligible for AARP. Had these performers been given something other than a glorified drag show that brought the evening to a grinding halt repeatedly, the oldest profession might have seemed young again.

THE OLDEST PROFESSION by Paula Vogel

Running time: Approximately Two Hour & 30 minutes with one intermission

THE OLDEST PROFESSION, produced by Agape Actors Co-op, at East View High School Black Box Theatre (4490 East University Avenue, Georgetown, TX 78626) June 4 - 14, 2015. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm. Tickets: www.agapeactors.com

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