Emily Mann’s Gloria: A Life, a theatrical event about journalist, feminist, activist Gloria Steinem is not so much a drama, but an exposition of the history of this wave of feminism, the feminist discourse of our time. As the titular Christine Lahti, sporting Gloria’s signature black bell bottom jeans and native American inspired belt with just a change of vest to jacket to bunny ears, wants women to speak their truth and consider the power in numbers. Yes to pussy hats!

At the Daryl Roth Theatre, theater-in-the-round makes the performance itself a talking circle. The show limns the times when it was worse, before Roe v. Wade, with young women enduring coat hanger abortions, dying or losing their fertility. But perhaps most touching and resonant is Gloria’s homage to her mother’s imprint of a sad, depressed, unfulfilled life. Ruth Steinem worked as a journalist until she became a stay-at-home mom, isolated in a culture that did not allow her to breathe. Gloria Steinem became a journalist when her mother could not, and founded Ms. Magazine. Lesser known activists, some of color, some native American, are brought to the fore as major influences on Steinem’s views. Directed by Diane Paulus, the performance is dynamic, featuring a part two: inviting the audience to speak up on issues that resonated with them.

Gloria takes from Michael Moore’s playbook. A guest speaker will visit every performance. Steinem had been Michael Moore’s opening night guest at his Broadway play in the summer of 2017. At the preview I attended, the real Steinem stepped up joining Lahti and the lively cast: Liz Wisan, Patrena Murray, DeLanna Studi, Fedna Jacquet, Joanna Glushak, Francesca Fernandez McKenzie, and Brittany K. Allen, to standing ovation. Women spoke up, some to proclaim Gloria’s greatness, how she is their hero. Others wept to say we are regressing, how the Kavanaugh appointment confirmed the silencing of women. One woman praised the bold action of the woman who forced Flake to “look at her” in the elevator.

Actress Diane Ladd, attending with Rex Reed, spoke up asking for the science behind the abortion debate: when does life start? The question was key for many men and women, and largely left unaddressed. Redirecting the dialogue or maybe mishearing, Gloria proclaimed the importance of women’s control over their bodies, which is of course central to women’s freedom, and most threatened by our current president and his regime. But, the moment reflects what’s missing in the culture at large, and the powerful message of Gloria: women need to be heard. Is anyone listening to us?

Regina Weinreich

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