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the waitress in the first act and Louise in the second. Louise was a loyal worker of more than 20 years at the same company, but when she realizes that she is being held back because she is a woman, she begins searching for a new job.
It is when Marlene goes to visit her sister and niece that the audience learns of the sacrifices she has made for her own career. She barely addresses them herself, making jokes and pouring drinks rather than admitting to her own sadness or doubt.
The show is a harsh condemnation of Margaret Thatcher's Britain and its individualistic philosophy. Marlene, of course, is a fan of Thatcher, saying that she expects great things from her rule. (Thatcher, who would go on to earn the nickname, "Iron Lady" thanks to her policies).
The conflicts that these women face are all to familiar to society today, with Hillary Clinton's fashion and marital decisions garner almost as much press as her policy decisions, and where Maureen Dowd continues to be the sole female columnist on the New York Times Op-Ed board. The blessing of possibility and opportunity doubles as a burden for the women in this play, and for the women in the audience. The last word uttered in the show is, "Frightening!" which rightfully describes the emotion that all the women share.
White at dinner, Marlene asks, half-laughing "Why are we all so miserable?"
I'd like to say we've figured that out by now, but we haven't. |
