Becky Bondurant has something to say and the guts to say it. In her remarkable one-woman Fringe show Penis Envy, Monolinguist, English professor, and writer Bondurant enthralls with verve, humor, astute insight, and raw honesty about — well no topic was taboo. This is fierce and fearless storytelling. The narrative unfolds in November 2016 when she eagerly awaited the birth of her daughter in tandem with the anticipated election of Hillary Clinton and the aftermath of her defeat in the electoral college. And we are still processing that, so thank you! From there Bondurant loops back to childhood and realizing all the presidents were men, and then back and forth in time, covering 9/11, her college years, writing and teaching, the birth of both her son and daughter, motherhood, circumcision and masturbation, politics and, yes, Freud’s defunct penis envy concept. Her weaving and unknotting of those last two items was particularly deft.
Being at the show was like spending the afternoon with a witty friend unafraid to say the things we are not supposed to say, your therapist, and your favorite political commentator all rolled into one. Bondurant’s confessions about the struggle to maintain dual identities of mother and writer really struck home. When her daughter said, “I want to kill you,” Bondurant replied, “You are.” I heard gasps along with “mm-hmm, yes” from the audience.
Bondurant’s performance and storytelling skills are exceptional. She’s enthralling. She held the audience’s attention throughout the show. Her well-timed pauses to let her words sink in, her facial expressions acknowledging the impact of her well-crafted language, and her own visible reactions to what she was admitting to thinking, doing, and saying. In fact, at the end of the show the auditorium was silent for more than ten seconds because we were all eager to hear what was next until we realized that our expectations for a bit more would have to come from seeing the show again.
The production was augmented by a brilliant set design consisting of original Presidential portraits and a playful playlist while we waited for the show to begin. By all measures, Penis Envy is a provocative and entertaining production by a virtuoso writer and performer. Don’t miss it.
Running Time: 50 minutes
Genre: Solo/Drama
Dates and Times:
- July 14 at 7:00 PM
Venue: Cafritz Hall, 1529 16th St NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Penis Envy
