The Vagina Monologues Review - A KCL V-Day Production

As the title suggests, the Vagina monologues was less of a play and more of a series of one sided discussions of female sexuality. Taken from hundreds of interviews with women (and those that identify as women) from ages 5 to 95, the unconventional format was fitting for the taboo subject. The production went beyond convention and expectation, and touched on subjects of orgasm, body image, rape, trauma, and female genital mutilation. Subjects that we may hear about from time to time, but something I haven't seen so openly and powerfully discussed before.

"I thought it was an overall convincing performance about something that’s rarely spoken about. There was no discomfort in how the topic was handled, it was empowering but seemed to skim over trans women’s issues but I think that's more of a critique of the play than the production" (Tara Clatterbuck)

It was funny, moving, sometimes uncomfortable, but overall- necessary. Each monologue brought a striking comparison and another necessary angle to the play.

From explicit spoken word poetry to female genital mutilation statistics, the range of perspectives was incredible to see played out, side by side.

Though artfully composed, one underlying problem is that monologues are entirely dependent on the acting skills of that person. Thus, some monologues were more powerful than others. The costumes seemed to be up to the discretion of the actor as well, but the audience's focus was clearly destined to be the speech.

The production overcame societal convention for an enjoyable hour and a half of relatable, liberating, and thought-provoking monologues.