9 Parts of Desire

Tonight I saw the play "9 Parts of Desire". It was beautiful. And sad. And intense. 

The premise of the play is this: one woman plays the parts of 9 Iraqi women who are talking to an interviewer. During their interviews they share their experiences of life before and during the Gulf and Iraq wars. Each story is very moving as they express all the nuances of living in fear. And all the nuances of finding enjoyment and peace and pleasure where ever they can. The violence that is a common theme among the women is gripping. And equally gripping is the disclosure of a doctor who has been delivering mutated baby after mutated baby that she herself is pregnant and that she doesn't know how she will be able to look at all these malformed infants when they grow up. 

Like the war in Iraq and the constant news coverage that faces us all, this play does not let up. There are several lighter moments thrown in, but from start to finish it is one full story of intense emotion.