As I entered my neighborhood gelato joint last night, I noticed a postcard for The How And The Why.  It’s a fiercely smart and thought-provoking play I saw earlier this year at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre.  So you can imagine how pleased I was when I learned that this play is currently in production in Philly!

From an interview with the playwright, Sarah Treem:

One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever gotten on that script, is when an audience member has said “I’ve never seen female characters like this on stage before.” Sometimes people seem surprised to see two women discussing things like science in such depth in theater. I wish it wasn’t that way. I guess I’m hoping that the audience will see what I saw while I was writing this play – that the choices we make in our lives are never simple, never easy – and the narratives we tell ourselves (and our children) are never completely true. But, perhaps, like Zelda says in the play, there’s a real beauty, a true satisfaction, in the way next generation rewrites the story of the previous one.

[Source.]

Abso-friggin’-lutely.

If you’re in Philly and enjoy a meaty play with lots of incredibly smart dialogue, I highly recommend seeing The How And The Why. But quickly! Closes this Sunday!

(Possible conflict of interest admission: I went to college with Sarah, but I promise I get zero kickbacks for ticket sales! I just think it’s a great play and particularly well-suited for smart women who wrestle with meaning and meanings.)