Hu’s a hit with
‘Monologues’
local crowdThe most recent production puts
a fresh spin on familiar material
"The Vagina Monologues": Presented in Honolulu by Jam Theatricals at Hawaii Theatre. Show times are 6 and 9 p.m. today, 5 and 8 p.m. tomorrow, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 528-0506.More body language, greater use of facial expressions and outright mugging, and some excellent improvisation combined to put a fresh spin on familiar material Wednesday night as Jam Theatricals' 2003 road-show production of "The Vagina Monologues" opened at the Hawaii Theatre.
Kelly Hu's throwaway comment about how mainland people go into therapy provided the theme for a series of off-the-script quips between the "X-Men 2" star and "VM" veteran actress Amy J. Carle. Carle, who appeared here in last year's Jam Theatricals staging of the show, gave as good as she got.
"Bob (a male character in one of the monologues) would have been here tonight but he's in therapy on the mainland," Carle ad-libbed as Starla Benford, the third member of this year's cast, wrapped up the monologue in which Bob plays an important and very positive part.
The audience broke up, and Carle and Hu ran with the bit after that with great comic effect, until Benford got the last word in just before Hu delivered the final monologue.
Benford and Carle -- who are being joined by Hu for this one-week engagement only -- embellished several of the most well-rounded monologues with a combination of facial expressions and body language. Benford's sudden changes in voice and posture added to the impact of the ever-popular story of the woman who came to accept her body after she saw herself as Bob did.
Carle gave the biggest single physical performance of the night, and almost went over the back of her chair, by the time she was finished with "The Woman Who Liked to Make Vaginas Happy."
Carle also displayed her range and capabilities as an actress with an impressive and entertaining interpretation of "The Little Coochie-Snorcher That Could." She did an impressive job in making the dark and frightful elements of the story appropriately dark and frightful, for "Coochie-Snorcher" is about much more than how a 16-year-old escaped the traumas of her girlhood.
Benford's underplayed approach to the Bosnian mass-rape monologue allowed the character's words to tell the story without theatrics. Benford also took the lead in the "Reclaiming ..." segment. After displaying her skills as a physical comedian, she turned the piece into an upbeat and inclusive cheerleader-style exercise rather than pitting the women against the men as was done last year.
NO DOUBT Hu's big-screen roles were a lure for a crowd younger than the usual theater set. Hu, in the hot seat in her dual role of celebrity guest star and hometown girl/film goddess, held her own with the veterans and neatly bounced back after one early miscue.
"I think I'm missing a card here. Live show!" she said, as the time came for her first major solo piece.
Hu's reading "subversive" as "submersive" also seemed like a blooper, but Carle and Benford jumped into the premise so quickly that it became something of a bonus bit.
Hu's decision to rework "The Flood" into the story of a pidgin-speaking local woman was problematic in terms of fidelity to Eve Ensler's material. The premise was a bit of a stretch -- like, how many island homes have cellars? -- but as local theater it was a huge hit with the audience and helped get her off to a solid start. Many of the details in the story were changed to fit the local setting; fortunately, Burt Reynolds and Dean Martin appeared on cue. (Hu explained after the show that she localized the monologue as a tribute to her grandmother.)
Hu's most engaging solo piece was the "interview" with a 6-year-old girl. She played both sides of the conversation convincingly and with enough separation between the two voices to make them distinct. Her choice of accent in "My Angry Vagina" seemed a bit goofy at first but gradually took on a life of its own as straight entertainment; Hu didn't convey the sense of rage that Carle did last year, but she connected with the crowd in no time.
In short, Hu held her own in front of the hometown crowd. With Benford and Carle as the core, this latest version of "The Vagina Monologues" should not be missed by anyone who is interested in women's issues, relationships or excellent live theater.
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