Comments on: A Quick Review and Recommendation: That Pretty Pretty

By: Maryanne

Maryanne — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:41:12 +0000

I’m so happy this play is getting such a good response. I saw a reading of it in the Bay Area about a year ago and found it extremely thought-provoking and groundbreaking (particularly since Callaghan is also responding to the multitude of male playwrights writing about females – from the obvious misogynists to the guys who are being “sympathetic.”) I highly recommend people in New York go to see it – I wish I could be there myself. Sheila Callaghan is one of my female heroes…

By: Ploratrix

Ploratrix — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:22:24 +0000

I don’t necessarily dislike Vogel for humanizing a pedophile (as you noted, pedophiles are… well, humans), but I suppose that aspect is a little troublesome to me.

I wasn’t fond of the play after seeing it and some of my initial impressions have remained the same over time, but once I read “How I Learned to Drive” and some critiques of it out of Bedford’s Introduction to Drama for a class, my dislike for the play (and more so for PV) was pretty much cemented. But that dislike is problematic – the anthology included an unsettling (to me, anyway) analysis in it that incorporated quotes from Vogel about how in HILtD she’s questioning the “victim” culture of the US and viewed Li’l Bit’s character as a phoenix rising from the ashes (when the character in her adult life is an alcoholic, seems somewhat suicidal, etc.), and I think my judgment of the play has been compromised by Vogel’s statements. I’m aware that’s not terribly fair, because she could have been taken out of context, and also because authorial intent shouldn’t paint over the actual content of a piece.

And if nothing else, HILtD is important because it highlights the unnerving truth that child molesters and rapists are not only often people we know, but also sympathetic and all too human figures. Despite my feelings regarding HILtD, I am definitely pleased to see the play being taught!

Sorry for the rambling comment. Anyway, when I get some time, I shall check out some other PV.

By: PhDork

PhDork — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:01:33 +0000

Ploratrix, I think Callaghan owes a lot to Vogel (and I mean that in a very good way). HILtD is a troublesome play, which is one reason why I love it, and why I love to teach it. I’ve gotten a lot of comments like yours from students, who can’t see a pedophile as anything other than a straight-up-monster, and so dislike the play/Vogel for trying to humanize him. Not only are pedophiles human, (turning them into monsters doesn’t do anything to help us understand how the trope of predation threads through so much of sexuality, esp. as delineated in the play), but the “truth” of the relationship between Peck and Li’l Bit is about more than just sexual abuse. I would definitely recommend PV’s other works, too, to see or to read.

By: Ploratrix

Ploratrix — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:22:31 +0000

I wish I was living in New York, or could afford the time to go there. “That Pretty Pretty” sounds like it’d be up my alley: recently I’ve been complaining to anyone who’d listen about how male dominated theater is, and how feminist issues aren’t seen as being that important in drama (and literature in general). Even though I love drama and theater going, it is incredibly sad that there are so few plays by women being produced.

Though I’ve lived in two cities with decent theater (Providence and Philadelphia), I’ve only seen one play actually written by a woman. It was Paula Vogel’s “How I Learned to Drive,” and it was put on by a community college. Vogel claims to be a feminist, but yikes. That play (I read it, too, so it wasn’t just the particular production) seemed very rape apologist to me.

By: DangerMouse

DangerMouse — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:38:00 +0000

In response to the last sentence:

I saw “Wendy and Lucy” this weekend. Was it depressing? Yes. (Sarah.of.a…. maybe save this one for another time.) Did I listen to Elliott Smith for a while afterward? Yep. BUT… was it a well-crafted, well-written movie with a female protagonist, female writer/director, and absolutely nothing in it about finding a man/having a baby/otherwise obeying the patriarchy? Hell, yes.

Refreshing, really. Glad I saw it.