Review: ‘The Good Body’ by Hub Theatre Company of Boston

The Good Body, a new play by Eve Ensler, frankly discusses the very real issue of female body image and how women in America should accept what they have rather than obsess about what they don’t. Directed by Lindsay Eagle, seven very different women play a variety of realistic characters who are in many ways relatable to those sitting in the audience. They are different shapes, ethnicities and ages, but all work together harmoniously to show women they can and should love who they are, just as they are, rather than focus on becoming the “ideal female”.

The cast features Julia Alvarez, Lauren Elias, W. Laurie Ewer, Paola M. Ferrer, Sanaa Kazi, Sally Nutt and Regine Vital. Throughout the production they moved through the intimate space interacting with the audience as they passed by. They did a good job of staying in character while at the same time being incredible close to the audience and often conversing about sensitive subjects.

While their performances were good, the quality of the production was greatly diminished due to the venue. In the intimate space one would think sound would not be a problem, but that would be wrong in this case.  Seated in the middle of the rows of chairs, in a private room of a club, would be an ideal location, you would think; yet we constantly missed hearing the dialog. The actors, who were not wearing microphones, did not adequately project their lines to compensate for the excessive noise from the bar/restaurant on the other side of the doors. It was incredibly frustrating during the heavier monologues when laughter and music could be heard mere feet away in the next room. It completely ruined the atmosphere of the play and the performance of the actors.

My advice: When attending, get there early to get a seat near the front so you don’t miss any part of this funny and realistic show. The Good Body is being presented until July 30^th at Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA. Tickets for all shows are set as “pay-what-you-can”.  For more information and tickets visit http://www.hubtheatreboston.org/.