As a political blogger, I’ve come to know the standard political speak made by those who want to know about politics. It’s the talk radio jargon that sounds like nails on the chalkboard to my wonkish ears. Stacey Morrison is a self-admitted sufferer of falling into the trap of the usual arguments. She represented well the thoughtfulness of people who want to know about politics, but find that the rest of their lives get in the way.
I enjoyed her characterizations of her family, her friends, her priest. Sex as a political weapon is a new concept to me. Sex can trump nearly everything. Sex couldn’t have made me vote for Bush.
Redemption is the tone I got from the play. Writing and performing it sounds like Stacey’s penance for allowing the basics of life to trump her principles. The point I think she didn’t get across was that it wasn’t about which party you believe too, it was that you believe what you believe, not just because someone else wants you to believe it. That at the core was her message and I think the standard political views of the audience got in the way of it sinking in. The easy way is to believe the hype, not to dive into the facts.
Parts of the production could use a little more of a pick up. I was not impressed with the staging. I liked her use of motion, but the props added nothing to her message.
If you believe in ideas, but you don’t really care much about politics, I believe you will relate to this play. If you are a political wonk like me, well, it will not sink in as much.