Written by orange• January 12, 2016• 7:38 pm• Costa Mesa, South Coast Repertory, Theater, Uncategorized

Burning Woman : The Madwoman in the Volvo @ South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa – Review

Written by Alina Mae Wilson

South Coast Repertory is currently putting on a comedy based on the memoirs of leading actress Sandra Tsing Loh. Titled The Madwoman in the Volvo, her story is actually many stories. Sandra stands center stage and chats us up about everything: her mother, vacationing at Burning Man, and her affair with her best friend. Helping her to bring these stories to life are actresses Caroline Aaron and Shannon Holt, each stepping in at varying times to play different people in Sandra’s life. Simplistically speaking, the focal point of the show is menopause–how it impacts women, how it impacted women in Sandra’s life, and how it impacted Sandra herself. Packed to the brim with both science and a smattering of humor, The Madwoman in the Volvo is best enjoyed by people in its targeted demographic–that is 45 to 60 year olds.

Sandra Tsing Loh begins the show amiably. She chats with her friends about things you might expect women to chat about, “Sorry I was late, it took forever to find this place, I have to get up early for work tomorrow,” etcetera, etcetera. These two friends are introduced to us as the actresses who are going to be helping Sandra regale us with her adventures after she reached the age of “almost 50,” as well as things that took place earlier –like Sandra’s mother’s serious bouts of depression. We are treated to a story of Sandra’s new growth as a woman that is both comedic and dramatic.

The set itself is simply black with a raised platform set up center stage and a few pieces of furniture (two chairs and a small table) placed far in the back. There is some sand on each side of the stage. It’s visually unremarkable, but the The Madwoman in the Volvo’s value is clearly not meant to be based on some elaborate set design. It’s intrinsic value is in its moments of laughter and sadness, in being able to sit there in the audience while listening to Sandra’s life story and say, “I understand! I identify! Something similar has happened to me!” This response is not completely unattainable, getting it is something of a challenge for Loh and her cast members –especially considering the specificity of their targeted demographic (white woman aged 45 to 60). It brings up the question of how entertaining this show truly is.

I just spent the last ten minutes debating with myself about whether or not I should have used the word “white” up above. Regardless of the age or genders of the characters they might be portraying, all of the settings appear to be firmly set within the parameters of a white, middle class American world where women seek to solve their problems by spraying each other with mystical healing water. Again, this is all obviously fine –these stories are based off of Sandra’s own life experiences –and if this is how it really happened, then by all means break out the seltzer. But targeting such a particular group so deliberately does make widespread amusement a bit harder to achieve.

The Madwoman in the Volvo seeks to educate as well as entertain. There are two advertisements from 1819 and 1942 in the show’s program. One feature cures for “those painful complaints and weaknesses so common among the ladies of the world.” The other is about the history of the drug “premarin.” The play addresses our collective human psyche, commenting on the fact menopause is typically viewed as a loss instead of an ascension to a new level in our humanity. We learn that during menopause female hormones return to those of preteen girls’, and couples are only biologically designed to have romantic feelings for each other for a duration of about 4 years. There are jokes made about flabby triceps and the things women go through to try to deny and/or avoid the issues aging often brings to us emotionally, mentally, and physically. As a less experienced person I found myself fixating on the possibility I was watching my future. The scenes that come most clearly to mind are those involving frightened children as they try to comfort their emotionally tormented mother. But the thing is I understood the show’s humor. I even understood the appeal. If you are a woman who has ever had similar experiences or thoughts, you might be in stitches. And you might find enlightenment in the nuggets of knowledge given to us regularly throughout, not to mention potential inspiration to keep going even in your darkest moments. Watching Sandra, one of the ideas that stayed with me as I left was that we women are not alone. We have each other. If you ever feel stressed, think of Sandra and all the crazy things she did.

January 3, 2016 – January 24, 2016