#joyvbehar

The title alone would make a person want to go to this show. And the fact that the very smart Joy Behar wrote it makes it even more enticing. I remember the stories in her one-person show Me, My Mouth & I over 10 years ago—especially that one-liner of appreciation from Steve Allen. Good writing lasts.The Concept Behind the ShowBehar opens this Readers Theatre event by telling us that she interviewed women who were divorced, separated, or widowed and compiled their stories into a show. Works for me. Many shows have been created using this method—The Vagina Monologues for one.Here's a mini preview: View this post on Instagram A post shared by My First Ex-Husband (@myfirstexhusband)Disappointment in ExecutionSo imagine my surprise to be disappointed in this production. The performers were rock stars (Joy Behar, Tovah Feldshuh, Susie Essman, and Adrienne C. Moore). The material, however, was lukewarm. Sussie Essman, Adrienne C. Moore, Tovah Feldshuh in a scene from My First Ex-Husband at the MMAC Theater in NYC. Photo by Joan MarcusThe Strengths and Weaknesses of the MonologuesWith the exception of Tovah Feldshuh’s Wigged Out and, to a lesser extent, Behar’s The Touch, the monologues were litanies of boorish and sometimes dangerous behavior with which these women put up—until they didn’t or until they gave up. If these were stand-up routines, each would have lasted a few minutes. As it is, the writing wanders from pillar to post until we lose the thread.Some of these characters put up with outrageous situations for years—decades even. One woman lived in the country without heat until her son turned eight and needed medical care. Another stayed for at least five years while they redecorated the house. Another marriage “got worse and worse, but it lasted 20 years.” These pieces may have been based on real situations, but are there not stories where women put on their Big Girl Panties and took charge? And could we not have a little of both? Women’s experience is like our vaginas—expansive.The Missing Element: EmpowermentI heard myself thinking, Why am I listening to this?We are living in a time when a convicted felon and serial sexual offender is the President. I don’t believe this is a time to listen to women verbally reason their way through their victimhood.Respectfully, I submit that listening to these stories is not inspiring. Rarely funny in a deep way. That they are based on true stories, I believe. The undercurrent, however, is that marriage is a predicament in which straight women can be trapped. This is a story of survivors, not champions. That feels a little milk toast to me. The writing feels careful.A Desire for More DepthMyself? I want more depth, adventure, wild moves, failure, resurrection, and what Rosa Parks referred to as the oak tree that resulted from the “nut that stood its ground.”I want more pure Behar.Production DetailsMy First Ex-Husband by Joy Behar. Directed by Randal MylerWith a Rotating Cast- January 29-February 23: Joy Behar, Susie Essman, Tovah Feldshuh, Adrienne C. Moore- February 26-March 23: Judy Gold, Susan Lucci, Cathy Moriarty, Tonya Pinkins- March 26-April 20: Veanne Cox, Gina Gershon, Jackie Hoffman, Andrea NavedoVenue: MMAC Theater, 248 West 60th Street RELATED https://youtu.be/56dahg34hl0?si=nP5eQGJymrw58FLU Read the full article