“Whenever there was a black woman in the Vagina Monologues, there was always pain,” said WVON news director Sharon K. McGhee, author of The Pocketbook Monologues.
“But we have joy in our pocketbooks too!”
The title – a charming pseudonym for the female anatomy, commonly used by black women – coupled with reputation of the play’s presenters (Omicron Theta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha) promised a far less racy presentation than its mainstream counterpart.
But audience members were often weak with laughter at the “Too Much for TV” conversations about the technicalities of sex that are rarely shared publicly between girlfriends.
McGhee also starred in the production for her hometown audience at the Sheldon Concert Hall Sunday night, alongside Denise Thimes, Madra Thomas, Ladonna Tittle of Chicago and Portia Britt in a witty and candid series of monologues that felt like – and at times became – a conversation between the performers and the audience.
“A lot of people have secrets, and what you don’t know can kill you,” McGhee said. “It’s good, but it’s not worth dying for!”
McGhee’s play bluntly highlights the joy and pain of sexual discovery, exploration and awareness for women of color, subjects typically muffled by black women’s conservative stance on openly talking about what goes on in the bedroom.
According to McGhee, the whole point of the movement to publicly and collectively empty the contents of black women’s pocketbooks is so they can arm themselves with knowledge as they continue to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic among them.
In the 1990s, female rap group Salt N Pepa shouted “Let’s Talk About Sex” in their hit song about women arming themselves as a form of protection against HIV/AIDS. But as the epidemic continues to wipe out black women in the next millennium, the conversation must have abruptly ended somewhere along the line. McGhee picked up where Salt N Pepa left off.
The cast brilliantly executed the show. Anchored by McGhee, each segment transitioned through the various stages of the intersection of womanhood and sexuality, from puberty to menopause.
The ensemble wore elegant black dresses as they sat in director chairs, telling the stories of a gamut of women aided only by the simplistic backdrop of a single spotlight offered to the designated reader.
Each of the ladies vividly captured the emotion of the story. Despite the minimalist visual aids, their illustrations of McGhee’s words permanently etched the experiences of women who are collectively exposing their pocketbooks in an effort that is key to black women’s survival.
Even when read silently in the privacy of one’s personal space, the Pocketbook Monologues is enlightening and entertaining. But the added delight of the ladies’ presentations literally put a face to the story. From beginning to end, each lady gave power to the notion of women speaking out loud about their pocketbooks.
The most shocking to many was Tittle’s selections. Despite her silver hair and petite frame, Tittle was literally the tongue-and-cheek performer of the ensemble. She was in a state of constant ease and comfort as she tackled topics ranging from the sexual aftershocks of menopause to oral gratification, leaving some of the audience members in her own age group with bewildered expressions.
In between many of the stories anonymously provided by women in her circle to create The Pocketbook Monologues, McGhee strategically inserted off-the-cuff snippets about the importance of black women protecting themselves and keeping the conversation going to combat the HIV/AIDS crisis that has become the leading cause of death for black women ages 18-34.
“It is rare that people of color have an open and honest conversation about it,” McGhee said. “We want you to leave here tonight knowing that it is your responsibility to take care of your body, not anyone else’s.”
After an appearance at the famed Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and now St. Louis, she is continuing to take her show on the road. Her next stop is the Helen Mills theatre in New York, featuring a cast of nationally acclaimed actresses including Kim Coles and Phyllis Yvonne Styckney as she works to encourage black women to talk about sex in order to save their lives.
