Art

Written by an American, Jack Heifner Vanities is a story relating to three young girls from a little town called Texas. The lives of these three girls take a sharp turn in puzzling ways after a deeply intense period at school where they would spend good time flinging themselves into the air and making noises. The girls enjoyed their happy times and shared together but after going away from one another, they forgot everything and separately started their own means of survival. According to the playwright it seems that cheerleaders who are worshipped and envied in high school do not grow up and live charmed lives in their later years.

The playwright begins by mentioning his three characters namely Lauren Kennedy, Sarah Stiles and Anneliese van der Pol who acted as cheerleaders sometimes back when they were in high school and college. All the three beautiful girls shown in this pleasant but forgettable play must weather the storm and trouble after putting away their pullovers and saddle shoes.

The play begins in a conventional and inconsequential manner however, it comes in a series of oral plays that are arranged in a sequential order. In the beginning of the play, the three characters are revealed as having a happy life in high school, socializing with one another and even sharing their happy times together.  Kathy, who is living in the apartment, plans and organizes a get-together party for the three and though the playwright does not mention the reason behind the holding of the get-together party it is true that the party was meant to commemorate the happy times and sorrowful times that they had been sharing together.

Joanne, to whom life seemed to be still an active convention, is now getting out of shape with time. She is a pretty girl and one who does not care much about the future. Kate Guyton also displays the same characters. Kate Guyton is later engaged in a marriage relationship with Ted who is revealed as the plays most lively and puzzling characters but does not show herself.

Mary as acted by Regan Thompson changes from a sex maniac young girl to a professional marketer of the same trade. She has an art gallery that deals with erotic art despite being married and one of her best customers is none other than the wandering Ted with whom she has an affair. The girls do not seem to learn anything in school. Mary wishes to be a nurse or a psychologist. Kathy does not want to be anything whereas Joanne goes on being a virgin. Ted is arguably the most active and strange character in this play, though he does not take an active role.

When Anneliese van der Pol, who is a cheerleader tried to attract her friends attention to bow to the get-together party every thing does not go smoothly since the boys and other social issues keep getting in the way and as result, Anneliese van der Pols confidence on the success of the get-together party is rendered hopeless. However, she tries with all her effort to get back to her friends Joanne and Mary. Due to this situation, the playwright uses Kirshenbaums music to reflect the kind of dilemma she was undergoing.

The young women appear to be in confused states of mind than there before and do not even show the character of leadership despite having been cheerleaders before. Joanne plans a wedding with her former high school sweetheart but at the same time, Mary also plans to travel to Europe in summer. Kathy still doubts the fact that her former friend and schoolmate have married a woman who is already. As a result of this she gets disappointed with men. Mary then comes in to console her friend from her disappointment. This clearly displays the obvious strained relationship of the three girls in this reunion party. The character of cheerleading learned at high school seems to have ended there. It did not go beyond the school gate.

At the time the play goes to New York City, the three actresses had been completely changed in their characters from which they had when they were together. Mary who is a prostitute gets angry of her friend Joanne because of her decision to become a housewife and a mother. This problem disturbs Joanne but later reveals it when she gets drunk. The trio-actresses have strong and appealing voices. However, Ms Kennedy looks worried because she has to smoke every time. Or could she be experiencing a difficulty in relating with the others Probably as they also do not get out of the arena during the short break and they sit at the table of vanity to have time to adjust their makeup.

After watching the play I was amazed by the playwrights theme of misguided values as shown by the transformation of the characters of the three girls. They experienced overexcitement in high school, life of uncertainty in college and sadness in their final reunion. But is life that vain as the writer tries to show I dont think so but it might reflect these trends if the values that one calculates are against the norms or misplaced as the characters reveal.