Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem, the legendary and quintessential female activist’s life is now being performed at the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City. This play brings the audience from the time Steinem was a young child living in Toledo, Ohio in 1940, to the Women’s March on Washington in January 2018. Gloria Steinem was a pivotal woman in the world of feminism. She was a co-founder of Ms. magazine, which is a feminist magazine that is still issued monthly.

The play was written by Emily Mann and Directed by Tony Award Winner, Diane Paulus. The production features a seven-person cast. All of which are women. Christine Lahti plays Gloria Steinem at all ages is absolutely exquisite. She embodies Gloria in a way nobody else can. She feels her pain, stress, and anger during the hard times of discrimination against women. The Daryl Roth Theatre was set up in a way I have never seen a theatre. It was in the round, but every audience member’s seat had a pillow at it for their relaxation during the performance.

Another aspect of the show that really set it apart from other plays is the 20 minute “Act Two” that was a group discussion for the entire audience and the cast. When an audience member had something to interject about how they felt about the show, or what they thought was important to a more progressive United States, they would simply raise their hand and a cast member would give them a microphone. Very interesting conversations arose of different ways to get involved and to positively affect our world. Celebrities, fifteen-year-old activists, and men and women who are in their 90’s and have lived through everything that was portrayed in the play, all had pieces of wisdom and knowledge to add to this proactive and fascinating discussion.

This interactive, innovative, and influential play is not one to miss!