'Liberation' review — Bess Wohl's memory play is sharp and witty
Read our review of Liberation off Broadway, a new play written by Bess Wohl and directed by Whitney White, presented by Roundabout Theatre Company.
If you could go back to a pivotal time in history and be part of the movements that led society to where it is today, what would your role be? Would you dedicate your entire life to the cause, or would you hang on to some semblance of normalcy?
This is perhaps the largest question we’re asked in Bess Wohl’s Liberation, in which one woman creates a memory play to relive her own mother’s early life as a women’s liberation activist, who founded a CR (consciousness-raising) group. Who were those women, what did they struggle with, and what compromises did they make?
We meet the people of the CR group slowly, as it takes them a while to open up. They represent the different types of women who might have been drawn to groups like these: an ambitious receptionist (Audrey Corsa), a gender-non-conforming writer (Adina Verson), and women in different kinds of unhappy marriages. Celeste (a magnetic Kristolyn Lloyd), the only Black woman in the group, is reluctantly back home to take care of her dying mother, while keeping some of her cards close to her chest.
Isidora (Irene Sofia Lucio), who at first glance is an over-the-top, stereotypically fiery Sicilian immigrant, later reveals herself to be a true radical in ways some of the others can’t fully comprehend. And Margie (Betsy Aidem), the only traditionally married woman in the group, seems the most noncommittal when it comes to women’s liberation as action. However, she reveals a depth of fortitude with the accusatory mic-drop line at the end of the first act: “You want a revolution, but you want it on your terms, and you don’t want to have to give anything up.”
Wohl’s writing is sharp and witty, toggling back and forth between humor and heartbreak with natural ease. But given the length of the show, the two acts of the play can feel like they’re spiraling after a while. Even so, the characters are personable enough that it’s easy to get lost in their worries. Wohl’s charming, fourth-wall-breaking lead is played with an endearing desperation by Susannah Flood, who navigates the time jumps between 1970 and the present well. And though she has comparatively fewer lines than the rest of the cast, Kayla Davion’s turn as Lizzie when the narrator needs to take herself out of her mother’s shoes is one of the most powerful scenes in the show.
Tackling misogyny, internalized homophobia, domestic abuse, gender roles, and the need for intersectionality, Liberation leaves no stone unturned in its quest for answers about the past and the present. But with any of these topics, no play can have the answers to something that we haven’t figured out yet in real life – and that’s all part of the point.
Liberation summary
A young woman struggling in her role as a feminist and a mother looks back on the life of her own mother for guidance. Attempting to reconcile her once-radical mother with the woman who raised her in such a traditional family unit, she imagines herself back in time to 1970 Ohio, where her mother Lizzie founded a CR (consciousness-raising) group. She does her best to relive Lizzie’s time with the group and to make sense of the choices they made and the conversations they had. As the CR group evolves from tentative confidants to fellow feminists, the members must reckon with their places in 1970s society and what they want for themselves.
What to expect at Liberation
All audience members attending Liberation are expected to lock their phones inside Yondr bags (provided by the theater) for the duration of the performance. It may seem like an extreme measure, but it’s a precaution meant to protect the privacy of the actors. The beginning of the second act opens with the women of the CR group trying out an activity that second-wave feminists might be mocked for: meeting naked and empowering their own nude forms.
The on-stage nudity, an incredible display of vulnerability by all the actors involved, is definitely a divisive choice (if Show-Score reviews are any measure). But given the raw conversations had over the course of the show’s two and a half hours, the actors’ nudity seems like just another manifestation of the ways the characters strive to understand themselves, inside and out, and their roles as women in 1970s society.
What audiences are saying about Liberation
With a 80% rating on Show-Score at the time of publication, Liberation has largely positive audience reviews. Some audience members found the first and second acts to be unbalanced, while others praised the cast and the relevant subject matter.
- “The performances were excellent across the board and the sparkling dialogue was the perfect blend of humor and pathos.” -Show-Score user Susan 90
- “Good intentions and generally interesting - but still needs work and tightening up.” -Show-Score user Ali G
- “Well constructed characters. Painfully timely. Engaging and touching.” -Show-Score user Gwen 8322
Read more audience reviews of Liberation on Show-Score.
Who should see Liberation
- Theatregoers drawn to plays that ask questions with no easy answers, leaving you to wrestle with the themes for yourself, will love the ground covered by Liberation which spans the period of second-wave feminism to today.
- Anyone interested in the writings of famous feminists like Audre Lorde, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, or bell hooks would enjoy the sparkling discourse disguised as dialogue among the CR group.
- Fans of Bess Wohl’s previous writing, such as Pretty Filthy or Grand Horizons (nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play) would enjoy this timely addition to her body of work.
Learn more about Liberation off Broadway
Offering both comfort and affliction, Liberation is an ambitious memory play that seeks to memorialize a past movement, reminding us both how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.
Photo credit: Liberation off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)
Originally published on