Social movements are never easy. Aside from fighting from external forces and systems to be recognized, respected, and treated equally, there is the added struggle of dissension within by those who come from different points of view and the correct way to approach the end game.
Playwright Bess Wohl has beautifully captured the difficulty and glory of the women’s liberation movement in her exceptional play Liberation, a piece that opened to rave reviews earlier this year Off-Broadway at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theater and quickly made a transfer to Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre.
The disarming and engaging Susannah Flood leads a stellar cast as Lizzie, a young woman who is trying to piece together the puzzle of her now deceased mother’s past as a member of a consciousness raising group in suburban 1970s Ohio. Lizzie serves both as a the story’s narrator (told through a contemporary lens) and in flashbacks, as her own mother. It’s a hugely unique and effective technique that puts a different spin on the memory play.
Lizzie is plagued with questions. “I mean, look around, look, look at what’s happening in the world right now, what is happening, and can someone please explain it to me and how do I explain it to my children?” She’s not wrong. Society may have reached a point where woman are now permitted to apply for a loan or credit card and buy a house, but they still face salary inequality, access to proper healthcare, and a slew of other discriminatory practices. Indeed, the fight is far from over.
Director Whitney White’s cast is absolute perfection and together, they tell an incredibly compelling story that manages to be simultaneously funny, infuriating, poignant, curious, and heartbreaking. No story of any major cultural shift is the be-all and end-all, but Wohl has managed to reveal the nuances and give voice to women's issues that have either been whitewashed or forgotten altogether.
Liberation should certainly appeal to women who lived through the movement and its era but it is also an excellent educational opportunity for those who came after, as well as for all men who need to give exceptional praise and respect for the many bold and brave women in their every day lives.
Liberation is currently running on Broadway the James Earl Jones Theatre 138 West 48th Street NYC through January 11th 2026. For tickets and information, click here: liberationbway.com.
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