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Culture Stage

SummerWorks review: Naked Ladies

NAKED LADIES by Thea Fitz-James. The Drake Underground. Aug 5 at 8:30 pm, Aug 7 at 6:15 pm, Aug 8 at 8:30 pm, Aug 11 at 5:15 pm, Aug 12 at 8 pm. See listings. Rating: NNN


In this brave solo show, writer-performer Thea Fitz-James exposes herself both literally and figuratively by spending most of her hour onstage unclothed while telling personal stories and reading from her childhood diary.

The content might make some people uncomfortable, and in fact Fitz-James discusses the affects of her explorations of nakedness on her family, and particularly her mother. With the help of Zoë Erwin-Longstaff’s direction, the production contains many tributes and profound moments, including the opening where Fitz-James walks onstage and takes a few seconds to connect with each audience member by making eye contact one person at a time – an interesting exercise in relieving self-consciousness.

The script could still be edited and refined, but the piece is filled with well-researched lessons about the sociological and historical significance of female nudity in art, medicine and culture.

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