Gloria: A Life – American Repertory Theatre – February 2020

I actually didn’t have any intention of seeing this until I spoke to a couple of theater fans who were surprised I wasn’t going to see it. So I got myself a ticket and went not having a clue what to expect. I’ll admit to immediately being happy that I didn’t buy a ticket that had me sitting on the floor. I’m sure it was a wonderful experience for those theater-goers who wanted it, but I am NOT a fan of being part of the show. So sitting in the bleachers with a cushion to keep my back and tushy comfortable was good enough for me.
This was very comfortable
For someone who grew up in the 1970s and 1980’s, I had very limited exposure to Gloria Steinem and feminism in general. I come from a long line of strong women. Both my grandmothers had full-time jobs at times when women didn’t often work outside of the home. My mother went to business school before she got married and decided to stay home to raise her daughters. I was raised not believing that Prince Charming was going to come and whisk me away but that if I studied and worked hard I could accomplish whatever I wanted whether that meant getting married and having children or just heading out into the world alone. But there was never any real education about feminism or the people in the movement. All I knew was that there was more to being a woman than being arm-candy for a man.
THIS is so not my speed.
So I was a bit disappointed in myself at how little I knew about Gloria Steinem and excited to learn.
I will not rehash her life story here. Seek out this show.* It’s a joyful yet bittersweet visit through time and while there were plenty of men in attendance, it was the faces of the women around me that say burned in my brain. The women in my row were a bit younger than me and the women in the row behind me were older yet all of us felt the pain of the fight and the joy of the few victories Gloria Steinem endured. And Patricia Kalember absolutely was Gloria. One of the women behind me told her companion that she once met Ms. Steinem at some book signing thing and she was blown away by how much Kalember reminder her of Gloria.
In the lobby they had a series of posters from Gloria’s heyday. I’m quite fond of this one.
They followed up the show with an interactive talk back but I high-tailed it out of the theater before it began. One day I will be comfortable interacting with a show but this was not that day.
*(edited to add): PBS aired this in June starring Christine Lahti. It is definitely worth a watch if you can find it!

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