Lindsay Burns' The Vajayjay Monologues is a wonderfully dry riposte to Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. As directed by Vicki Stroich, it mocks Oprah Winfrey's use of the term vajayjay to great comic effect but also seriously questions why society still remains uneasy about women's genitalia.
Indeed, though Burns sarcastically wears her hair in Ensler's trademark pixie cut, she shares Ensler's goals for a kind of social enlightenment regarding the female anatomy. Sure, she'll use slang to get a laugh ("pink taco"), but she's not joking when she worries that the widespread cultural use of vajayjay may mean regression for women. Yet she also defends using the C-word, explaining that while feminists loathe it, it's very useful for describing Ann Coulter.
Burns' shares anecdotes, indulges in divine puns ("the cliterati"), offers a vajayjay etymology, and does several character-based monologues of her own. The two most poignant come at the beginning and the end: one in which a Jewish grandmother frets about sexual mores affecting her young granddaughter and one in which the granddaughter reveals how divided the generations really are.
Presented by Pot of Jam Productions as part of the New York International Fringe Festival at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam St., NYC. Aug. 9-18. Remaining performances: Wed., Aug. 13, 3 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 15, 11:45 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 16, 10 p.m.; Mon., Aug. 18, 5 p.m. (212) 279-4488 or (866) 468-7619 or www.fringenyc.org.