Review: The Time Is Right for Bess Wohl's Liberation on Broadway

It seems impossible that Liberation, now running on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theater, could be more relevant now than it was earlier this year when it premiered off-Broadway. But Bess Wohl’s story of women trying to change their lives through a consciousness-raising group in 1970s is so rich, new strands can always be pulled out and examined. It makes for a night of theater that is funny, emotional, enraging, and inspiring.

Liberation is framed through lens of a daughter who is trying to understand why her mother, a one-time semi-radical feminist, gave up that part of her life to get married and have kids (both mother and daughter are played by Susannah Flood). But it’s the ebbs and flows of the CR group’s dynamics that make it shine. Margie (Betsy Aidem) is a housewife who’s been “feeling the bars of her cage” since her kids have grown up, leaving her with a husband so useless he’s like another child. Celeste (Kristolyn Lloyd), the group’s only Black member, is an editor with a Harvard degree forced to return to Ohio to take care of her ailing mother.

There are two Doras: Isidora (Irene Sofia Lucio), an Italian immigrant who often reminds the group she only married for her green card, and Dora (Audrey Corsa), who wants to move up in her career but keeps crashing against overwhelming sexism. Susan (Adina Verson) is particularly fascinating, quoting Marx while living out of her car with a pet bird. Kayla Davion’s Joanne, though an outsider, is the highlight of some of the most striking scenes.

But describing each character in turn misses the life of the group, which is its own sprawling organism going through radical changes. At times, the members offer consolation, they challenge each other, take swipes, and grieve, often in the same scene. It’s electrifying and feels a lot like power. But is it? The play is constantly questioning whether the group, and second wave feminism in general, is going to result in meaningful change. The push-pull over the direction of they take, spearheaded by Lizzie, who is the least eager to let go of safety and security, is an engaging thread that feels extra weighty in our current political climate. If nothing is risked through political engagement, will anything be gained?

With the high points being even higher than the first time I saw it, I was wondering if the ending, which I didn’t love, would hit differently the second time around. Some of it did and some of it didn’t. Starting with what didn’t: because of the strong pull of the group as collective protagonist, a late confrontation between mother-and-daughter (with Flood’s elder role shifting to Aidem) feels like a pivot that isn’t totally necessary. It makes sense that a daughter would want her mom to answer life’s big questions directly, but I’m not sure it served the audience to see that play out, especially since Mom doesn’t give any straight answers. The enduring mystery is effective, but it didn’t need to be the focus of the climax.

the late appearance of Lizzie’s mother feels like a pivot that isn’t totally necessary. It makes sense that the she wants to reconnect and talk to her directly, but I’m not sure it served the audience to see that happen onstage, especially since Lizzie remains enigmatic. The enduring mystery of Lizzie’s motives leaves the audience a lot to think about, so it is effective on that level. But it was already conveyed earlier – it didn’t need to be the focus of the climax.

The very last moments pull the focus back on the ensemble, and because of that, I came away satisfied. It becomes clear that the audience has participated in our own consciousness-raising, as a function of spending time with these incredible women. One of the final messages was to take something from what we have just witnessed and carry it forward into our own story. There might not be answers, but there is a spark of action. In a time where the future of the women’s movement, and our country, is murkier and uncertain than ever, it is a fitting takeaway.

The play has translated well to the Broadway stage. Whitney White’s direction is sharper, and the transitions are smoother. David Zinn’s gymnasium set design evokes the place and time; you can almost smell the gym socks. Cha See’s lightning design largely works, though sometimes abrupt. It’s supposed to help indicate whether we are in present day or the 70s, and since that can change almost mid-line, the transitions aren’t always seamless.

Since seeing it earlier this year, I’ve found myself mentally comparing everything else onstage to Liberation, and frankly, not many other shows compare. Liberation is a must see.