In the Body of the World

See it if Woman devoted to helping Congolese rape and torture survivors gets stage IV cancer. Harrowing yet hopeful. Powerful delivery and staging.

Don't see it if You don’t want to confront real horrors both far away and nearer to home. Stark descriptions of bodily mutilation.

See it if you're a fan of Ensler or have an interest in cancer care or the atrocities of the 2nd Congolese Civil War & steps taken to heal from them.

Don't see it if you do not love solo shows, or 1st person narratives that conflate personal pain with world events.

Also I left this wildly uneven solo show deeply conflicted. Eve Ensler addresses her audience directly. Her voice can be engaging, funny, self-aware. But she can also sound like a New Age lecture, delivering bromides both impossible to oppose & unremarkable. My favorite moments were the quietest. Ensler enacts sickbed visits from her sister & to her mother. These intimate moments, with 2 family members with whom Ensler has had a rocky relationship, feel deeply earned, personally & dramatically. But much of the material about the course of her treatment seems pro forma, involving too many minor characters to care about. And the material on Ensler’s work in Africa feels smuggled in to prop up the importance of the story of her sickness. At the end of the piece I could wildly applaud the final success of Ensler’s exemplary Congo project, even as in my heart I felt her stage product had been both incompletely digested & (with a fantastic garden that materializes at curtain time) overblown.... Read more Read less

See it if you're an Ensler fan, interested in fighting cancer and improving lives of young women in Africa, like 1-person shows & visual surprises

Don't see it if not interested in 1-person shows or author's experience fighting cancer or working with young girls in Africa, brief female nudity

Also Ensler has a powerful story to tell, probably one not possible without having written her previous works; it's an intense, deeply personal and intimate story that gets into the heart and guts of the woman, while being warm and funny and shocking and inspiring at the same time. She is honest and fair, particularly in judging herself. The visual surprise is touching, gorgeous and wonderfully immersive.... Read more Read less

See it if Ensler, a force of nature, speaks truth to power, often bluntly funny; had many in the audience cheering her on

Don't see it if one-person shows are tricky; need either a great script or a gifted performer playing many roles (see Billy Crudup); this show had neither

See it if you're interested in an honest autobiographical telling of one woman's experience with cancer; working with rape victims in the Congo.

Don't see it if partial nudity and baring your soul and body are offensive to you; Ensler is an open book about the physical ravages of uterine cancer

Also Ensler may not be the best actress around but her passion, honesty. humanity and energy make her a force of nature not to be missed... Read more Read less

See it if To watch Eve Ensler (Vagina Monologues) relate her ordeal with cancer in great detail. Nothing is left unsaid. Charity work is great!!!

Don't see it if You are offended by nudity or too many medical details. You or a close family member or friend is suffering through a disease.

Also Ms. Ensler tried to interject gallows humor. I felt like a prisoner in a group therapy session.
The best part is her work with the City of Joy charity, which is helping the lives of the women in Africa who are terribly maimed, raped, and denigrated by the soldiers of many nations.
I wish that the play centered more around their problems, and the aid that is spearheaded by Ms. Ensler.
The rest seems very self-serving.
Maybe I needed to see Vagina Monologues first.... Read more Read less

See it if you love Eve and you're up for intense subject matter wrapped in dark humor.

Don't see it if frank, harrowing deeply personal stories about cancer and atrocoties against women trigger you.

See it if A powerful show that tells parallel tales of Ensler’s fight against cancer and her efforts to build a women’s sanctuary in Congo.

Don't see it if Some of the descriptions are very painful to hear. Ensler is a compelling writer and presence, but not the greatest actress.

See it if you enjoy women centric pieces that speak directly to global and feminine issues.

Don't see it if you thought it might be a sports piece

See it if you enjoy excellent storytelling and are comfortable with uncomfortable topics

Don't see it if you want a larger production than a 1-person show; looking for a purely joyful experience

See it if you are seeking a new theatrical experience that will teach you something you didn’t already know about the world and playwright Eve Ensler.

Don't see it if real world knowledge delivered in a theatrical setting is not your thing.

Also Playwright Eve Ensler has done it again with her latest play. She has taken her cancer diagnosis and her plan of attack to fight the disease and turned it on its head by reminding us that our bodies, no matter whether we are male or female, can withstand whatever the world throws at it if we can conquer the mind and thoughts we think. Mind over body rules this play in a way that I hadn’t even considered before. Thank you Eve for bearing both your body and soul to us and in doing so it makes us aware that we are much more powerful than we give ourselves credit for being. GO SEE THIS POWERFUL PLAY!... Read more Read less

See it if you know Eve Ensler's feminist/body focused activism; can tolerate a very personal survival story juxtaposed with unspeakable war crimes

Don't see it if you are unable to listen to very graphic description of medical issues, torture of women, personal & family dysfunction-a lot to handle here

Also Some critics will find much of this monologue indulgent. This play is about the many assaults against women's bodies, both internally and externally. but there is hope, and the survivors will lead the way...... Read more Read less

See it if you are brave, willing to be emotionally challenged, ready to laugh and cry, unafraid of hard truths, open to unsettling revelations

Don't see it if you want an easy night in the theatre that won't give you nightmares and make you count your blessings.

Also I knew it would be brutal. I knew it would touch me personally as a survivor. I didn't expect to laugh so hard and say "yes" so often. This is a remarkable, revealing ,revelatory night of theatre. But it so so so so so much more than that. Words can't capture it.... Read more Read less

See it if you know you can enjoy one-person autobiographical shows that deal with serious, sometimes depressing subjects.

Don't see it if you know you would not enjoy a detailed description of the author's cancer diagnosis and treatment plus horrifying stories about the Congo.

Also Though dealing with depressing subjects, the author/performer tells her story in a way that holds your attention.... Read more Read less

See it if You like achallenging, well acted thought provoking 80 minutes of relevant theatre.

Don't see it if You are looking for a comedy.

See it if You want to see a well done play that follows one woman through her battle while helping other women witth theirs. Funny, must see!!

Don't see it if If you dont like one woman shows, or don't want to hear about real life womens health issues.

See it if you can relate to both personal tragedy and loss as well as the horrifying degradation of women in the Congo. The contrast is compelling

Don't see it if you are unwilling to expose yourself to the trauma of loss and abuse. This is rough material handled well and powerfully. Bravo

See it if Ensler's memoir describes brutal truths of fighting cancer and violence against women; raw, provocative, honest, emotional (and funny)

Don't see it if If you are squeamish to graphic descriptions of rape/torture in the Congo or cancer topics. Hard topics, but so important to hear about!!!

See it if You can stand true horror stories and you want an education in how bad it can get. You think your life is tough.

Don't see it if Your depressed or easily depressed. Horror brings you down.

See it if you enjoyed The Vagina Monologues. See it if you have ever had cancer. See it if you can relate to topical stories told by one person.

Don't see it if nudity, atrocities, or cancer bothers you. About 95% of the show was excellent. A bit here and there could have used some rewrite.

Also But the humor in the show relieved the audience of some of the horror of the topics discussed. The talk afterwards with Professor Crenshaw of Columbia and UCLA was enlightening. It was sad to hear mothers talk about their children who had been shot by the police. Certainly, it is time to train officers and government officials on how to deal with people who are in crisis and people who have mental illness.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to be totally absorbed in one woman's story of a fascinating life journey to find herself after an intense fight for her life.

Don't see it if you can't handle upsetting topics like cancer, genocide, abuse, and humankind's rape of the earth. Despite this, the show is not depressing!

See it if You're interested in the intricacies of cancer treatment or are a fan of Ensler's.

Don't see it if You want character interaction (it's a one-woman show) or if you're at all uncomfortable hearing about women's health issues in detail.

See it if I have enormous respect for Eve Ensler. She is smart and seems like a genuinely good human being. I just hated the show.

Don't see it if See it if.... You want to think and are into plants and the environment. Human rights (needed more space).

See it if good god i was not prepared for this. eve ensler is truly a living icon who should be celebrated. her work on this piece is extraordinary!

Don't see it if it's a tough sell: a one-woman show about rape and torture in the congo + ovarian cancer. definitely not for the faint of heart.

Also i mainly went to see this show for nostalgic reasons; the vagina monologues was one of the earliest shows i was ever involved in. to hear ensler recount her experiences with ovarian cancer and then to see her performing this piece with such gusto is miraculous in itself. how she does it so many times a week is beyond me! she kept my full attention from start to finish. i was horrified and profoundly saddened by her stories. plus the final reveal was wow.... Read more Read less

See it if Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues) in a one women show about her fight with cancer. Well written of course. Well staged.

Don't see it if it is a depressing show. Hard to recommend but it is well done.