N.Y. Casting
WAY-THE-HELL
OFF-BROADWAY
True Confessions of a
Go-Go Girl
by Thom Garvey
"The sex industry in the only industry where woman make more money than men and I wanted a piece of it," Jill Morley proclaims with lustful venom. This is only one of the many facets of her go-go dancer life that we experience during True Confessions Of A Go-Go Girl written and performed by Ms. Morley and directed by Mary Ann Towne, now playing at the West Bank Cafe.
True Confessions is not for the puritanical theatre goer. There is nothing subtle, or veiled in this hard hitting, no holds barred expose about the life of a go-go dancer. Ms Morley cuts to the bone immediately with a sexy routine that educates the audience at once.
"Deep down I knew I was a go-go dancer."
Scantily clad in her opening entrance-complete with all the moves-Ms. Morley makes one wonder if they have mistakenly stumbled into a go-go club. We are jarred back to reality when she switches gears into the more naive and slightly confused young women from middle-class New Jersey. She confesses that she did once make her living as a go-go girl and we know that everything unfolding is autobiographical. At this point there is nothing for the actress or the audience to hide behind.
The script and the performance are provocative and daring. Ms. Morley wants to set the record straight about the world of go-go dancing, perhaps to humanize the women who make a living at it, and to reconcile her own real-life-choice to be a part of this seedy and mysterious life. At times she seems at peace with it, and at other times it is distressing to her. Ultimately, Ms. Morley regrets a certain loss of innocence when in the end she says in a somber tone, "Deep down I knew I was a go-go dancer."
True Confessions would be better served if the audience was left to decide whether or not Ms. Morley had actually been a go-go dancer. It would have given us just a bit of distance and objectivity which would in effect crate more suspense and mystery. I do appreciate the "in your face" form the show takes. It serves to make us really open our eyes and look at this world and its inhabitants, which are too easily dismissed as undesirable and unworthy. An especially poignant moment occurs when she admits that her decision to be a go-go dancer had much to do with her own neediness, the approval of men was very important to her, as well as the need to shake the "homely girl" image she had of herself.
" Out on a limb acting !!! "
Humor is a big part of the show's success, it is laced throughout the script and beautifully executed, making her story buoyant and accessible. There is no self pity or wallowing here and this allows the dramatic moments to have greater impact. Ms. Morley's versatility is also beautifully demonstrated with her portrayal of four dancers with whom she worked.
They were each unique vocally, physically and rhythmically, her face changing drastically with each character. She knew these people, that is clear. More importantly, she cared about them, therefore, so did the audience.
True Confessions of A Go-Go Girl is a treat for any theatre goer craving "out-on-a-limb," honest, truthful acting, along with a script that shakes us up, without alienating.
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