Beautiful Bodies By Laura Cunningham

Laura Cunningham ↠ 9 review

The play version of the novel BEAUTIFUL BODIES, also by Laura Cunningham, which follows the lives of six women in Manhattan on a cold winter's night, in a NoHo loft owned by Jessie, who makes her living writing self-help novels. Jessie has planned a baby shower for Claire, who is 7-months pregnant. Nina, a nail salon owner, who's always on the hunt for a man, arrives first. Lisbeth, a model, obsessed with her boyfriend, Steve, who left her a year ago, arrives second. Martha, who makes her living in real estate arrives next, and, Jessie hopes will leave before Claire arrives (she planned to get Martha out early). Sue Carol, an actress/waitress (or 'wactress') arrives fourth, after having struggled with the IRT, and leaving her husband, who, she believes has cheated on her. Claire, a musician, arrives last on a bike, much to Martha's horror.

The play is in two acts and the women hash out new loves, old loves, or hopes for love. They navigate their careers and their hopes or lack of hope for motherhood. But, mainly, it focuses on the friends-as-family theme that was made more famous by the television series SEX IN THE CITY, which was developed not too long after the production of this show in 1987 starring Karen Allen. Beautiful Bodies

This is not the most amazing play I've ever read. It lives in that genre that people were writing in the late 80s and 90s: friends-as-family. This genre was definitely eclipsed by the series SEX IN THE CITY, which doesn't play it as safe as this play, but this play was written in 1987 and put in a compilation of plays for women, so...I guess I can't criticize it too terribly...it was early in the genre, and someone has to break the glass ceiling with women in this genre...though, of course, there is the play THE WOMEN by Claire Booth Luce, but...I digress. I've been rehearsing this for three days now, playing the part of Jessie (which is a first for me...that is...playing a role that has the same name as me...), and I will say that it is much more fun to play, than to read, and, hopefully, it will be more fun to watch. The director and the cast have decided to leave it in the late 1980s, so I think that will give it some oomph and some more humor...I mean, come on, 1987 clothing and hair...if the dialogue and our acting isn't enough, the nostalgia will be. Beautiful Bodies A group of friends is holding a baby shower and that one friend that they are all still friends with but who has a tendency to make it all about her and judge her friends choices shows up and stays. The hostess carefully organized it so this friend wouldn't be there at the same time as the other friends she clashes with most, but ultimately best laid plans fail and they all have to figure out how to get along, or how to fight their way through the party half politely for their pregnant friends sake. Although judgy friend definitely has opinions on whether she should even be having a kid.

It's big on the friends as family theme that was really popular with Sex and the City and of course, Friends.

The friend group is interesting and feels believable with a mix of personalities. Definitely would want to see it onstage. Beautiful Bodies