ARTS . Arts Picks

Age of Arousal

Dec. 5-Jan. 6, $37, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824, wilmatheater.org.


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Published: Nov 27, 2007

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Canadian "fabulist" Linda Griffiths' new play, Age of Arousal, shows the uncensored world of loosened corsets as five women pursue a new age where erotic and economic freedom emerge in 1885. It is a modern look at forbidden Victorian desires.

"I called myself a, fabulist, without really knowing what it meant. My work attempts to dance between the personal, the political and the fantastic," admits Griffiths. "Everyone in this play is on the brink of tumultuous change. They're not dry historical figures, but sexual and lubricious, explosive and contradictory."

Wilma dramaturg Walter Bilderback saw the play's première in Canada in March and was enthusiastic. "It knocked my socks off so I recommended it to Blanka and Jiri [Zizka, the Wilma's co-artistic directors]. Age of Arousal possesses both a clear plot and a vibrant theatricality. Rarest of all, it's a play full of characters whose arcs could not be foreseen by the end of their first scene."

Dec. 5-Jan. 6, $37, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824, wilmatheater.org.