Peter Ganim as the outdoor stand proprietor Ed and Brenda Currin as his customer in Shopping, one of three one-acts in Where Women Go, the final work of Tina Howe, at the HERE Arts Center.
Theatergoers who have followed the career of the late Tina Howe now have an opportunity to see her final work, Where Women Go, a triptych of one-acts that invites one on an absurdist journey through New York City. Directed by Aimée Hayes, this intimate work has some transcendent moments, but its poetic flights are too often thwarted by its gimmick-driven scenarios.
From left: Jess DiGiovanni, Ganim, and Yeena Sung in an absurdist moment in Shopping.
First up is To the Dermatologist. The longest of the one-acts, it is also the most unwieldy. It’s set in a family-run dermatologist’s office, Your Reflection, on the Upper West Side in spring 2021. When the lights go up, one hears a recording of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair” wafting through the air as three receptionists—Yu Yan, Isabella Sanchez, and Honey Green—wearing Covid masks, are alternately filling out medical forms and overseeing the comings and goings of patients.
The drama revolves around Zilla, a patient in her 80s. As Dr. Procter examines her, she cavalierly asks Zilla, “So, how are the legs treating you? Do they still tell you bedtime stories and sing arias from Cosí Fan Tutti”?
Procter drops her breezy tone, however, when she discovers tiny plant leaves sprouting from Zilla’s lower limbs. This strange phenomenon leaves her clueless about a diagnosis. The scene ends with Proctor and her nurse crying, “Help!” and Zilla sobbing. The octogenarian has become a “human female spice rack” who is beyond treatment. The point of the sketch is to show how skin problems are often seen by people as lightweight compared with heart issues, brain disorders, or lung diseases. It is amusing to watch at times, but is probably more attuned to theatergoers who appreciate absurdist drama.
Jess DiGiovanni plays Alida Valli from The Third Man in Tina Howe’s one-act To Subway. Photographs by Matthew Cylinder.
To Subway at least has the advantage of brevity. It’s about two female servers, Pudding and Sal, in a Subway who are attempting to make their restaurant rise above the competition. Hannah, a dedicated customer, hopes to convert her friend Clara to becoming a fan of the shop. In fact, five minutes in, Hannah (nicknamed “Ham”) makes a $1 million bet that Clara will soon be raving about the food. “Dream on!” says Clara. Indeed, those two words seem to put them into a dreamscape, as the actress Alidi Valli materializes, playing the jaunty zither theme from the movie The Third Man. As they all dance, applaud, and cheer, Valli approaches Clara like an old friend:
Valli: Hannah invited you here to give you a treat because she was eager to share something very special with you. . .YES?
Clara: Really?
Valli: Come on, join her. Do it for me … and the third man!
Suffice it to say that Valli serves as the catalyst who is able to nudge Clara into ordering an unforgettable repast at Subway: “a combo of Black Forest eel, rotisserie-style canary, raw eagle legs, with a sprinkling of mule ears on the side.”
Although this bite-size drama starts out as a trifle, it eventually becomes meatier as Valli is resurrected from the grave and brings back the spirit of good old Vienna.
Shopping zeroes in on an Egyptian proprietor named Ed who has an outdoor shopping stand outside a trendy grocery store on the Upper West Side in October 2020. In spite of his well-arranged goods, he’s being ignored by the locals passing his stand. He later muses:
It’s such a pity my shoppers aren’t aware of how cultured we Egyptians are, having been around for eons before these deaf, blind, and mute Westerners sailed over from the Scottish Isles.
Almeria Campbell (left) as Dr. Procter, Currin as Zilla, and Breezy Leigh as Nurse Monika in To the Dermatologist.
Although Ed eventually attracts some potential customers, he finds that they often handle his merchandise roughly, trying earmuffs on at every angle, or battling over gloves like prizefighters. Things take on a more nonsensical air when The Silent Man Wearing a Parachute arrives at his stand. Ed suspects he is a flying maniac, as do his customers, and chase him off. The best part of this skit by far involves Ed singing “The Star Spangled Banner” as a Real Soprano shows up and joins him. Their duet transitions into the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” with his previous customers drifting back to listen.
The nine-member ensemble—Almeria Campbell, Brenda Currin, Jess DiGiovanni, Peter Ganim, Breezy Leigh, Matthew Maguire, Tirol Palmer, Yessenia Rivas, Yeena Sung—acquit themselves well.
Howe, the author of Coastal Disturbances, Painting Churches and Pride’s Crossing, might not have broken any new dramatic ground with Where Women Go. But it clearly reveals her flair for absurdity, her fascination with food, and her penchant for the sight gag.
The Tent production of Where Women Go runs through Feb. 25 at HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Ave.) Evening performances are 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; matinees are at 4 p.m. Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit here.org.
Playwright: Tina Howe
Director: Aimée Hayes
Sets: Taylor Friel
Lighting: Joey Moro
Costumes: Heather Freedman
Sound: Lola Basiliere
