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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > August > 04 > Entry
Review: “Early Girl” at Paladin
An all-female cast is a pretty rare find in theater. Even plays titled after female leads tend to be dominated by male-heavy cast lists — see “Mary Stewart,” “Hedda Gabler,” and any number of plays written by dead white men.
But the Paladin Theater Company, under the direction of Charles P. Sites, unearthed a play from the early ’80s in order to showcase the untapped resources of Austin’s female artists.
“Early Girl,” written by Caroline Kava and showing through Aug. 22 at Salvage Vanguard, accomplishes many of the young theater company’s purported goals. The show is charming, accessible, and keeps itself classy while dealing with potentially hazardous material.
Following the lives of six women working in a Midwestern brothel, the play, surprisingly, isn’t really about sex. It touches on themes of female exploitation and empowerment without delving into the seedier side of the world’s oldest profession.
Lana, the madam of the house (Wendy Zavaleta), claims strict adherence to rules as the only way to keep her “girls” safe and her business running efficiently. With strained enthusiasm, Zavaleta carefully explains the “cardinal rules” to naïve new girl, Lily (Keylee Paige Koop). Since health is one’s most valuable asset, no booze, no drugs, no dope, and every girl gets a weekly check-up for diseases. Oh, and no phone calls.
The tone is light and full of laughs as we watch the impact of Lily’s arrival. Bright-eyed, innocent and remarkably attractive, Lily plans to stay only one month — hoping to make $20,000 and get out.
Yet, inevitably, the lifestyle begins to take over, and her escape becomes less certain. Despite a motherly facade, Lana proves to be a cutthroat businesswoman at heart, willing to compromise herself and her girls for a little extra cash.
Kava’s play pits the women against each other, hinging on negative stereotypes and clichés of female jealousy, vanity and competition.
Lindsley Howard gives a lovely performance as Jean, the one woman in the house who knows the score and proves willing to take a stand, but the other women largely come off as caricatures.
Given the play is written by a TV actress, perhaps it’s unsurprising that the show seems more like a sitcom than an expose. But by playing up the comedy, the production misses out on opportunities for insight and depth.
The resolution is satisfying when one ignores the reality of those left behind, and ultimately the play is cute, though not particularly challenging. — Cate Blouke, special to the American-Statesman
“Early Girl” continues 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 5:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 22, Salvage Vanguard Theater. 2803 Manor Road. $20 Fridays-Sundays, $15 Thursdays.
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