Latin American Women On/In Stages (review)

Milleret, Margo. Latin American Women On/In Stages. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2004. Margo Milleret’s Latin American Women On/In Stages uses modern sociology , psychology, history, feminism, and theatre criticism to examine female identity in contemporary Latin American drama by women. Milleret focuses on plays from the late twentieth century that question, challenge, and re-construct society’s expectations of women at various life-stages. Her introduction, “Domesticating Drama,” offers a brief historical overview along with a discussion of the increasing recognition of female authors in Latin American theatre criticism. Milleret also posits that the socialization of women, particularly the emphasis placed on compassion, may partially account for their ability to write insightful and moving dramas. Yet in no way does she suggest that women playwrights speak with a single voice. The three main chapters of this book illustrate the multiple perspectives and techniques of female dramatists from diverse regions and backgrounds. Chapter 1, “Reclaiming the Home,” explores innovative uses of the interior domestic sphere in plays that question and challenge traditional notions of romance and gender roles. Milleret consults the research of sociologists including Hector Bonaparte and Regina Barreca and historians such as Asunci ón Lavrin to explain how patriarchal marriage values introduced during the colonial period are maintained in modern Latin American society. Referring to the dramatic criticism of Hanna Scolnicov, Milleret explains how the interior private realm can be both a refuge and a repressive space for women. El vuelo de la grulla by Ana Istarú (Costa Rica) and the more abstract Cariño malo by Inés Margarita Stranger (Chile), are examples, according to Milleret, of female protagonists attempting to maintain their own personal identities by questioning social conventions regarding love and marriage. The critic finds that Stranger’s work offers an inspiring message, since it proposes that women look inward for strength and love. Milleret also discusses two Brazilian plays about intimate relationships between leftist student protesters during the 1960s and 1970s: À prova de fogo by Consuelo Castro and Boca molhada de paxião callado by Leila Assunção. As Milleret argues, these plays reveal the ways in which repressive power relationships are echoed by the very activists who claim to challenge them. The alternative settings, such as the university building overtaken by Marxist students in À prova de fogo, are original while the theme of women struggling to be heard and respected by the men around them continues. The last part of the chapter discusses gender bending. Milleret points to Estela Leñero’s Casa llena (Mexico) and Thais Erminy’s Wisky y cocaína (Venezuela) as examples of women forced to take on more aggressive , “masculine” roles. The chapter ends with a discussion of the acclaimed Reseñas 173 El bigote by Sabina Berman (Mexico) and a Brazilian play also noted for its innovative reversal of gender roles: Roda cor de roda by Leila Assunção. However , Milleret observes that, while they expose the repressive “constructedness ” of gender, neither work succeeds in offering a solution to the system. Chapter 2, “Questioning Motherhood,” begins with a thorough review of mother-daughter relationships in sociological and feminist literary criticism. Milleret takes into consideration the viewpoints of Vivien E. Nice, Nancy Chodorow, Adrienne Rich, Sara Castro-Klaren, and Gayle Austin. Yet she focuses on the psychological theories of Susan Suleiman and Carol Gilligan in her analysis of mother-daughter relationships in contemporary female-authored drama. The first set of plays studied in this chapter highlight conflicts between rebellious daughters and manipulative mothers: Madre nuestra que estás en la tierra by Ana Istarú (Costa Rica), Marcadas pela culpa by Isis Baião (Brazil), En un desván olvidado by Thais Erminy (Venezuela), and De compras by Rebecca Bowman (Mexico). The subsequent set of plays emphasizes “ongoing negotiations” (87) between mothers and daughters: La partida by Pilar Campesino (Mexico), Querida mamãe by Maria Adelaide Amaral (Brazil), Amant íssima by Susana Torres Molina (Argentina), and Casa matriz by Diana Raznovich (Argentina). Milleret interprets Raznovich’s metatheatre as mocking myths of motherhood in Casa matriz. She argues that the other Argentine play, Torres Molina’s Amantíssima, shows mothers and daughters finding common ground through...