Representing ‘Woman’ in Split Britches’ Honey I’m Home, the F-RTC’s Oedipus Rex XX/XY, and Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flynn’s Lysistrata Jones

Abstract

This chapter uses case studies from both comedy and tragedy, including Split Britches’ Honey I’m Home: The Alcestis Story (1989), the Faux-Real Theatre Company’s Oedipus Rex XX/XY (2012), and Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flynn’s Lysistrata Jones (2011), to explore the extent to which costuming and casting choices may reinforce or challenge the male-invented, male-performed idea of ‘Woman’ performed on the ancient stage. It argues that the employment of women actors in a play written by and for men does not preclude a feminist critique, for Split Britches’ and Faux-Real’s performances have used feminist performance techniques and cross-gendered casting to challenge the gender binary of male/female. However, in some cases, such as Lysistrata Jones, reperforming Greek drama may inadvertently result in the reinforcement of negative depictions of women and essentialist ideas that attach sex (the physical body) to gender (the cultural performance of that body).