Not so cheap, but got my money's worth

Event: Play - The Vagina Monologues
When: February 14-15
Cost: $5 students, $10 adults

In honor of V-Day, UI theater and medical students, the Emma Goldman Clinic, and the V-Day Organization collaborated to perform Eve Ensler's (pictured, right) acclaimed play, The Vagina Monologues. Now, I know that for a blog dedicated to cheap area attractions this event was a bit expensive, but it was for a good cause (the proceeds benefited the Emma Goldman Clinic and the V-Day Campaign) so I couldn't resist. Plus, I'd always wanted to see the play.

Each character was played by either a theater student, a medical student, or an Emma Goldman employee. Although I suspected which actresses were theater students and which weren't, I was very impressed with them all and thought they all performed superbly.

I'd seen parts of the HBO documentary about the play, so I was expecting it to touch on themes of female sexuality with a mixture of humor, poignancy and tragedy. It didn't disappoint. The play began with silly dialog about the taboo nature of the word "vagina" in our society. In one monologue, an actress depicting an elderly Brooklyn-ite spoke of her sexually deprived life and recurring sexual dreams about Burt Reynolds. Another notable character was a young Bosnian woman who spoke metaphorically to describe her brutal rape and the atrocities of war.

From a guy's perspective, my boyfriend said he enjoyed the overall performance. However, he seemed to think the guy sitting next to him was a bit squirmy/uncomfortable at times. But then again, the reactions of the whole audience were uncomfortable at times. Also, the language (and the content, for that matter) would definitely not be appropriate for children.

We were pleasantly surprised that after the play was over, there was a reception with an impressive variety of free drinks (nonalcoholic) and snacks. I must say that for $5, I definitely got my money's worth!

Check out this youtube link if you want to see a performance (NOT from the Iowa City version) that was a highlight. Disclaimer: Sexually explicit content.