The Second Woman by Marissa Chibas explores female aging in a complex, mysterious, and highly intellectual way. Now in a world-premiere production at Bootleg Theater, the two-character drama kicks off with a video segment (shot by John Hawk) which pokes fun at a modern-day rehearsal of Medea. A once-famous actress, Zohra (Chibas), now playing the role of the Nurse, objects to what the snotty young director is doing to the play, tricking her out in an ugly grey wig and telling her to think about “colors and lines” instead of character motivation. (Shades of the German opera director, Achim Freyer). Then we find Zohra at home, sans wig but still raging about the unfairness of life, being forced to play minor roles by an egomaniacal director who was half her age. Joining her is Angie (Paula Rebelo), the second woman of the play’s title. Beautiful, dynamic, and sharp of tongue and mind, Angie’s relationship to Zohra is never spelled out. I took her to be her alter ego, a youthful version of her old self. It’s also possible, though, that Angie is an arcane spirit right out of the ancient Minoan civilization, which she constantly references during the course of the play, buttressed by Cretan lyra music, a Cretan dance or two, and the poetry of C.P. Cavafy. But just when you start to conclude that The Second Woman has been completely inspired by Greek culture and history, Chibas shifts gears and works in lines from the movies “Opening Night” and “All About Eve,” plus passages from “Sailing to Byzantium” by William Butler Yeats. It all sounds like a glorious highbrow mess, but miraculously, Chibas and her fellow actor Rebelo make it work, keeping us focused on the main thrust of the story, Angie’s fight to keep Zohra from giving up on herself. Hammering home the 21st-century truism that life begins at fifty, Angie makes Zohra see that she is still a vital, powerful woman with long, productive years before her. Chibas, her co-directors and many on her creative team, are on the faculty of the California Institute of the Arts, which is where The Second Woman was developed and financed (with the help of a TCG Fox Fellowship).
