“I’d rather study S-E-X”
After reading the synopsis of “The Learned Ladies” I must say my hopes for enjoyment
were not high, but after attending the production, my expectations were blown out of the water. I
expected to be bored by a modern drama preaching about the tragedy of the tradition known as
arranged marriages. What I got instead was a satire comedy making fun of the flaws of
marriages being arranged for those the parents favor and not the bride/groom.
I attended the production on a Sunday afternoon with my father and step-nephew. Prior to
this, my father has only attended the musical “Hamilton,” and as for my nephew, this was his
first experience. I told my father we should sit close to the front row to get a better view and hear
the words clearer. He was skeptical but ultimately followed behind me. During the first act, I
monitored their expressions, and they didn’t seem as amused by the play as I was, but I thought
they just needed time to warm up to it. And warm up they did. During the intermission, I talked
to my nephew, and he sounded like he was enjoying the production. We both had a deep disdain
for the antagonist, Trissotin, whom I compared to Lil’ Gideon from “Gravity Falls” and Mr.
Smalls from “The Amazing World of Gumball.” After the play, I asked my guests for a rating
out of 10 and what their favorite character was. My father gave the play a perfect 10 because he
believed the acting, themes, and conclusion were all done well. His favorite character was Ariste
for the simple reason that he thought it was funny to see him try to solve all his problems with
alcohol. My nephew, on the other hand, gave the play a 7 because he believed that the start of the
play was very slow and that the conclusion could’ve been done better, but all in all, he enjoyed
the play quite a lot more than he expected to. His reasoning for his favorite character was a lot
less… intellectual. He said his favorite character was the protagonist Henriette because he
thought the actress (Olivia Velasquez) was very attractive. Personally, I would’ve rated the
production a 9 for the comedy and how much I related to the experience
the deuteragonist Clitandre was going through. My favorite character was Chrysale because of
the development he went through over the course of the play.
I agree with my father on the acting done in the production. The performances of
Trissotin and the Learned Ladies did a great job of painting him as the antagonist. The comedic
performances of minor characters such as Martine, Lupine, and Ariste added to the overall
charm of the production. Another reason for my high rating of the play was the modernization
done by the UH team. There was a charm in mixing the archaic values with a modern setting,
even if there was only one set. Though, the climactic structure may have detracted from the
pacing of the play, in my opinion, making it feel rushed. I thought the inciting incident of
Armande telling her sister she needs the approval of their mother to marry Clitandre was great to
me as it paralleled experiences I’ve had in my own life. The feeling of wanting to be with
someone while trying to gain the acceptance of their family is something I’m going through
currently, and it made me empathize with Clitandre’s situation. I also agree with my nephew
about the fact that the conclusion could’ve been done better. The conclusion seemed to focus
more on comedy rather than giving a cohesive ending.
All in all, we had a great story mixed with greater laughs and were overjoyed by the end
of the production. “The Learned Ladies” was a delightful experience and my father and I will
most likely go to see more UH plays in the future.