N/A – Whip Smart and Riveting

In 1917, Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to serve in the House of Representatives. When Nancy Pelosi (here, N – Holland Taylor ) joined Congress in 1987, ladies’ rooms were far from the floor. There were only 23 women in the House. “They could fit in a van!” the character comments. Pelosi was the first woman elected as U.S. House Speaker (twice) and the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress.  In 2022, she stepped down from her post.

Left wing politician and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (here, A – Ana Villafane) has served New York’s 14th Congressional District since 2019 when she defeated a ten-term incumbent. Taking office at 29, she’s the youngest woman and first female member of The Democratic Socialists to serve. Ocasio-Cortez is known as much for social media presence as her ideas.

Anna Villafane, Holland Taylor

The play: Newly elected, A has been invited for a welcome chat to the office of the House Minority Leader, N, 31 years in Congress. She’s alone, live streaming a mile a minute when N enters. “It’s all these followers,” the young woman says embarrassed. “Like Jesus?” N responds. “He only had twelve. I’m not comparing myself to Jesus (A).  “Then you’re the only one” (N). The ensuing scene is awkward. Both women are quick and smart. N is wry and cynical. A is disparaging of the establishment she feels N represents.

A is thanked for her courage to run “not for the faint of heart,” then politely asked to “turn the page” and make less “noise.” The newbe points out N is against progressive agenda. N calls it “an Amazon wish list.” A seasoned politician, she’s concerned with big numbers, i.e. the 218 votes it takes to pass anything and “with stopping the most dangerous president in history.” (Trump) “What about justice?” A declares. “This isn’t college. I’m not Plato, you’re not Aristotle,” comes the response.

We pass through several midterm elections and N’s once again achieving speakership – for which she needs A’s vote. Backgrounds come to light contentiously. N feels the only way to get anything done is to negotiate and work within the system. She wields political capital. A, who has none yet, is suspicious and impatient. When A complains that unrecognized, she’s still put through the metal detector, N comments that she’s surprised everyone doesn’t know her,. “You arrived on our shores like The Beatles – they’re a band.”

Holland Taylor, Anna Villafane

The playwright illuminates N’s seemingly inflexible character by letting us observe a bargaining phone call and one with granddaughter Bunny for whom she’s bought an Eleanor Roosevelt Barbie. (Yes, it exists.) There are glimpses of A’s perception of offenses. She didn’t, for example, receive a conceding phone call from her opponent. “Were you dating?” N quips. “You’re singled out for my politics, I’m singled out for my personhood,” A notes, one of many references to prejudice.

The women discuss environment and immigration policies – in accessible terms. A has gone to border lock-ups. “I want to howl,” N sympathetically says, but she remains insistent on methodology. “…You’re so compromised, you’re complicit in a system that’s rotten to the core…” A accuses. January 6 occurs. (Vivid stagecraft.) N comes to check that A is all right. When she decides not to reseek Democratic leadership, N pointedly leaves the smashed mirror in her office for the next speaker. What IS your plan?” N asks A.

Playwright Mario Correa, who emigrated from Chile at age six, was a longtime aide to Congresswoman Constance A. Morella before turning to theater. Protagonists are revealed as specific women, processes, and platforms. The piece presents both sides with a clear eye and TERRIFIC dialogue. It’s entertaining as well as insightful, a comment on legacy and a look at tomorrow.

Ana Villafane

Both actors are superb, as is chemistry. Ana Villafane’s A is an educated firebrand. We palpably feel the character’s energy and determination. When silent, her mind whirs. It’s as if she’s barely restrained, poised to leap at every moment.

Holland Taylor, whose Ann Richardson was a triumph, returns to a political role with intelligence and gusto. The actor is marvelous with sarcasm. Her N exudes experience and intelligence, visibly calculating. We believe her commitment and humanity as well as getting a sense of the politician’s frustration.

Diane Paulus’ direction couldn’t be better. Actors appear as whole people from bearing to delivery of dialogue. Timing is a Master Class in considered action/reaction.

Lighting design (Mextly Couzin) and projection design (Possible, Lisa Renkel) punctuate, and date us with skill and flair. Sun Hee Kil’s sound design, excellent throughout, adds a marvelous, slight echo when N addresses the floor upon her second speaker acceptance.

N/A is inspired by events that took place between 2018 and 2022…some dialogue is taken directly from the leaders who fueled these characters. It’s heavily researched and lightly imagined. – Playwright Mario Correa

Photos by Daniel Rader
Opening: Holland Taylor, Anna Villafane

N/A by Mario Correa
Directed by Diane Paulus
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
150 West 65th Street

About Alix Cohen (1925 Articles)
Alix Cohen is the recipient of ten New York Press Club Awards for work published on this venue. Her writing history began with poetry, segued into lyrics and took a commercial detour while holding executive positions in product development, merchandising, and design. A cultural sponge, she now turns her diverse personal and professional background to authoring pieces about culture/the arts with particular interest in artists/performers and entrepreneurs. Theater, music, art/design are lifelong areas of study and passion. She is a voting member of Drama Desk and Drama League. Alix’s professional experience in women’s fashion fuels writing in that area. Besides Woman Around Town, the journalist writes for Cabaret Scenes, Broadway World, TheaterLife, and Theater Pizzazz. Additional pieces have been published by The New York Post, The National Observer’s Playground Magazine, Pasadena Magazine, Times Square Chronicles, and ifashionnetwork. She lives in Manhattan. Of course.