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There’s a degree of risk in the upcoming staging of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, and not because we’re all going to get to hear the V-word so unashamedly. Let’s start with the venue. Though one-nighters have thrived at the Music Hall, the Danforth theatre has not been kind to extended runs — Ray Davies stiffed there with his one-man show — and Monologues’ producers have slapped on a hefty freight. The cheapest seat goes for $35. Still, this reverie on how women feel about their female parts always gets attention, primarily because of the way it has attracted major stars — from Glenn Close to Alanis Morissette — to the cast. Here in T.O., the Monologues opens with homegrown talent Gloria Reuben as its centrepiece. Her career trajectory has taken her from The Polka Dot Door to NBC’s nighttime heavyweight ER and more recently on tour with Tina Turner as a backup singer. She exudes warmth and energy in a way that should kick-start the Monologues in the right direction.
