She-She-She
About the show
Hook & Eye Theater’s new devised play centers on six women whose lives intertwine across generations against the backdrop of one great mountain. More…
When three solo hikers meet three women from the past, things get...historical. 'She-She-She' is inspired by the real-life friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and leading black activist Pauli Murray. Set in and around a New Deal-era woman's work camp on New York's Bear Mountain, this collaborative theater piece weaves stories from an idealistic bygone era with the narratives of three modern-day women still in search of agency, healing, and a little wanderlust.
"At times I wanted to go deeper – feeling that I should call out 'Wait! Stop! Go back! Tell me more!' but they have much to tell in only 90 minutes and lingering is not an option...As an ensemble based company, their strength is in their ensemble – their dances and movement used to tell the story have an architecture to them that is there not only to move the play along, but to move us to them as they construct the story." Full Review
"With equal parts wit and heart, 'She-She-She' lives Hook & Eye’s mission of interrogating ideas through the creation of theatre 'filled with history, myth, and science'...Often messy but in the best of ways, daring to break free of convention to allow stories to be told as discovered and devised. The play does feel incomplete and episodic, but the approach to it makes for an evening full of surprises that offers a welcomed, complacency-challenging reminder that theatre can be and do anything... Full Review
"Although Hook & Eye seem determined to at least touch on every aspect of social justice for which the context of a camp sets a promising stage, no single issue ever quite seems to reach the depths or pitch of crisis that would convey a real sense of stakes, whether personal and/or political...Where Hook & Eye’s real genius lies, however, is in mining the comedy to be had in the nuanced awkwardness of the interaction of strangers through brilliantly pared back dialogue and understated acting." Full Review
“An amiable, time shifting and rambling play...Structurally wayward and dizzying...The finale is quite uplifting but what has come before is often muddled...Lindsey’s direction has energy, confidence and a strong visual sense that infuses the production with force but cannot compensate for some superficial and extraneous sequences...Historical details, many back stories and numerous incidents are crammed together into an intermittently appealing but ultimately unsatisfying work." Full Review
“An ambitious, if episodic, look at the role of a 1930s jobs program for women...Attempts to weave contemporary concerns into an historical frame...Although...audacious and conceptually fascinating, the narratives are disjointed, and the stories from Camp Tera are far more engaging than their modern counterparts...That the play does not fully live up to this potential is a shame, but it leaves the door open for more writing about this transformative, albeit short-lived, economic justice proje... Full Review
See it if You want to see amazing actors and an immensely creative, disciplined production. Babak’s script is winning and inventive.
Don't see it if You like all your plot threads neatly tied up in a ribbon. This theater group is too ambitious and bold for that.
See it if You love an array of 3D female characters! You enjoy strong ensemble shows and exquisite writing.
Don't see it if You like a piece with more polish (though this was pretty wonderful given the low-budget production!)
See it if you want an introduction to, until recently, a relationship between two women that aided in opening the doors to equality and opportunity.
Don't see it if you cannot follow a play that is a bit disjointed where each actor plays many roles as well as assisting in the changing of the staging.
See it if for the unique combination of history and women's issues. The ensemble work is also unusually well done.
Don't see it if you want a unified plot. There are many subplots but no complete through line.
See it if you really enjoy youthful "let's put on a show" exuberance from a talented cast
Don't see it if You expect something thoughtful with regard to history or character development. The stories had no clear connection to the history.
Also But for the screaming and cursing, this felt like a bad play for eleme... Read more Read less
See it if You want to see great acting and an intriguing premise although at times the connections can be difficult to follow.
Don't see it if If you like a linear, clear cut story line
See it if You like ensemble theater that juggles multiple stories, timelines, topics, and tones in increasingly clever and surprising ways.
Don't see it if If you get easily dislike non-linear storytelling or get frustrated by ambiguity.
Cast & Creatives (17)
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