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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Fetal Also see Gil's reviews of 13, Churchill, Some Like it Hot, The African Company Presents Richard III
The setting of the play is a women's reproductive health clinic in Houston, Texas on one of the two days each week that they provide abortions. The date is the morning of June 24, 2022, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed legal access to abortion since 1973. With the constant drone of pro-life devotees protesting outside the clinic walls, the plot begins shortly before the Supreme Court ruling and follows three women navigating the emotional and physical toll of an unexpected pregnancy. Each of the three represent the range of ages, circumstances, and beliefs of those seeking an abortion and the complexities surrounding a woman's right to choose and the struggle for autonomy over her body and decisions about her health. Baldwin's play premiered in 2023 and does a fairly good job of presenting views from both sides of the abortion argument, although it clearly veers on the side of a woman having the choice to do what she wants with her own body and I do wonder if those who are pro-life would feel that the play is preachy at times. Baldwin fleshes out the three women who have come to the clinic that day so we can truly understand how each has thought about and even struggled with their decision. Baldwin also uses a fourth character, the woman working at the clinic to ensure the women fill out their paperwork and to go over the state mandated wording about their options during their intake process, as a way for us to hear each woman's inner conscious regarding what they are thinking during the interview and to clearly see that the decision they made didn't come lightly. Baldwin's writing is poetic yet brutally honest, creating a narrative that is both intimate and universally relatable no matter your sex or views on abortion. Although the characters are named in the program, their names are never spoken in the play. Instead, the three women are identified only by numbers in the clinic to protect their identities. Kate Haas, Dolores Mendoza, and Wyatt Murphy portray the women who have come to get abortions, and Debra Lyman is the woman working at the clinic. Haas and Mendoza are superb as the two older women. Hass is a no-nonsense lesbian in her 30s who got pregnant from a one-night fling and Mendoza is a 47-year-old woman with a young daughter who, after suffering several miscarriages, has found herself pregnant, but as the bread winner in the family, she feels another child would be detrimental to her career and her family's finances. Murphy is excellent as a 15-year-old who got pregnant the first time she had sex and who, along with her closest friend and family, are pro-life. Lyman is great as the individual who pushes and prods the women to let us hear their inner thoughts and stories. Under E.E. Moe's adept direction, the cast deliver fleshed out, distinctive, and heartbreaking portrayals with performances that shift between moments of strength and vulnerability and emotional highs and lows. All four actresses create individuals that are complex, empathetic, raw, and deeply felt, ensuring that each individual resonates with the audience. Tianna Torrilhon-Wood's set design perfectly captures the antiseptic feeling of a bland clinic waiting room, and Stacey Walston's lighting draws our focus to highlight each character when it's their turn to reveal their past and their thoughts. Allison Gilkey's great costumes are character specific. The production's simplicity allows the story and its powerful themes to take center stage, making the experience even more impactful. Fetal is a heartbreaking, timely, and thought-provoking play. With powerful performances and a play that offers an unflinching exploration of difficult themes, Stray Cat's production is both heartbreaking and deeply moving, highlighting the loss of a woman's right to choose and the need to band together to unite against adversity. Fetal, produced by Stray Cat Theatre, runs through March 1, 2025, at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe AZ. For tickets and information, please call 480 227-1766 or visit straycattheatre.org. Director: E. E. Moe Cast: |
