She May Be Every Woman But She’ll Always Be Our Girl

You’d better think twice before you begin to underestimate New Jersey.

The Great Seal of the State of New Jersey | Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons under the public domain
The Great Seal of the State of New Jersey | Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons under the public domain

Sure, it brought us the likes of Snooki and the baffling philosophy that is GTL, but on Thursday night it finally brought us something more.

Enter Maxine LaVoy, a confident leader ready to fight not just for the citizens of Trenton or Newark, but instead for every person who calls New Jersey home.

It’s too bad LaVoy exists only within the realm of “Our Girl in Trenton,” a production of BU’s New Play Initiative presented at the College of Fine Arts from October 17 to the 20. Written by BU alum Cliff Odle and directed by Thomas Martin, “Our Girl” follows the campaign of gubernatorial candidate Maxine LaVoy, a black politician hoping to break through the race barrier she sees stifling the state and make her return to the Governor’s Mansion, a site at which she endured a degrading humiliation nearly 12 years before.

Despite the brevity of its cast list (the play introduces only six characters throughout its two-hour runtime), “Our Girl” carries a compelling story infused with all the drama, scandal, and theatrics you’d expect out of New Jersey. The play weaves together several narratives: the lengths LaVoy’s estranged husband takes to prove to her that she needs his help to win the election; a heated affair between the campaign team’s married manager and its young, take-no-prisoners speech writer; a continuous heckling carried out by a “new media” blogger determined to find out if LaVoy is the real deal or if it’s just “the same shit, different election”; and old demons coming back to bite everyone in the ass.

This play is not for the faint of heart. Arguments abound, voices are raised more often than not, and an intimidating wooden bat is swung far too many times for the audience’s comfort. However, from the moment Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” announces LaVoy’s entrance to the final dimming of the lights, “Our Girl” challenges its audience members to question exactly what they value in their elected officials and reconsider how quick they are to judge others without first getting to know who they are and what they’ve been through.

“Our Girl” forces you to look beyond gender, race, and past mistakes and decide for yourself who is ultimately deserving of respect and forgiveness. So if you’re ready for a change, it’s about time you got to know Maxine LaVoy.

BU’s New Play Initiative is part of the School of Theatre’s efforts to support collaboration between students, alumni, faculty, and guest artists in the development and production of new plays. For more information about the Initiative, visit: http://www.bu.edu/cfa/theatre/professional/npi/

About Nicole Seese

Nicole Seese (COM '15) is a native Pennsylvanian who spent 19 years of her life convinced that her home state rivaled Texas in size. Her interests include wandering aimlessly, listening to other people tell her their stories, and snuggling up in any type of worn-in flannel attire. She fears strawberry seeds and escalators and will probably judge you if you don't judge her for that.

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