348:
forecast from the opening scene: "What doesn’t do is edit…the last half hour of the play drags, in part because the climax has been foretold but mostly because of repetition". While the show was not without its critiques, most reviewers also noted that the show had an enthusiastic audience: "Judging from the exultantly knowing audience reactions the night I saw the play, this cult of man-sawing office girls seems destined to find a cult of its own".
22:
306:
After the women take turns chain sawing Buzz to death, the play ends with another short and chilling rhyme: "Patty's got her jacket now. She fits in with the rest. She cut her boyfriend into bits, and so she passed the test. Save? No. We’re way beyond saving. We’re at the end. We should provide a moral for this story, but this is not a moral tale or complex
301:
As the end of the month approaches, Patty becomes stressed as she watches Susan and the rest of the secretaries become more and more manic. Susan starts drinking and driving, Peaches begins to binge eat, Dawn becomes more sexually aggressive, and Ashley becomes violently jealous over the fact that
305:
On the last night of the month, Susan gathers the secretaries in the woods to kill a lumberjack, in this case, Buzz, and to steal his jacket for Patty, the newest member of the cult, to wear. While Patty resists at first, she quickly breaks down and admits that she wants to join in with the plan.
281:
and starts on her path to join the cult, referred to in more public circles as the Big Bone Women's
Association. Patty quickly learns that the office hierarchy circles around whoever currently holds the award of secretary of the month, an award that it seems is best won by being sexually pliable
347:
as a "sometimes very funny, exercise in subverting
American images of womanhood" that "plays on anxious male fantasies of what women do when they’re alone together; straight women's fantasies of lesbians (they're predatory)". Reviewers also agreed that the show was too long for a plot that is
297:
Despite signing the pledge, Patty quickly finds herself in a sexual relationship with Buzz, one of the company lumberjacks, and shortly after, she also hooks up with Dawn, the "Office
Lesbian". Despite Patty's pleading, neither secret remain so for long; soon the entire office knows.
285:
As Patty works her way into the tightly knit clique of secretaries, she is introduced to some of the strange rituals and rules practiced by their cult. At the first meeting she attends, she is puzzled as to why Susan collects the women's used
186:. Over the course of the play, most of the female characters prove interested in or at least willing to participate in sexual activities with other women.
61:
32:
310:. No, we prefer you think of this as purely cautionary. Remember, sitting next to you could be a secretary!".
454:
165:
161:
145:
85:
459:
39:
262:
recited in unison by Dawn, Ashley, Peaches, and Patty. They explain that they are part of a
8:
182:
While Dawn is billed as the "Office
Lesbian", she is in reality just the only fully out
339:
282:
towards Susan, the office manager, and by maintaining an unrealistically thin figure.
326:
373:, Performing Arts Periodicals Database; ProQuest Central; Screen Studies Collection
270:
employed by the logging mill they work for, and blame it on a logging accident.
38:
The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of
322:
43:
333:
funnier than it is plot-driven and potentially taxing at an hour and a half".
448:
334:
274:
321:
was widely reviewed upon opening as more comical than it was meaningful.
267:
278:
307:
291:
287:
183:
259:
255:
273:
Scene one starts on the day Patty is promoted from being a
263:
407:. Samuel French acting ed., New York, Samuel French, 2010.
160:
is a play written and performed by the performing troupe
266:that, once a month, gathers to murder one of the
246:Owner of Cooney Lumber Mill in Big Bone, Oregon.
446:
290:, and why she is required to sign a pledge of
207:New secretary to be inducted into the cult.
237:: "Sexually harassing lumberjacks (slow)".
371:, vol. 356, no. 12, Oct 17, 1994, pp. 175
219:: "Sweet, clueless, slow-moving target".
164:. It opened on September 20, 1994 at the
62:Learn how and when to remove this message
447:
198:Longstanding Secretary of the month.
428:
426:
399:
397:
395:
393:
391:
389:
387:
385:
383:
381:
363:
361:
15:
302:Patty wins secretary of the month.
13:
14:
471:
423:
378:
358:
231:Also Patty's male love interest.
213:: "Office manager/ Cult Leader".
195:: "Susan's Sycophant, Bulimic".
20:
249:
410:
1:
351:
171:
313:
130:September 20, 1994
7:
416:"Cameos: The Secretaries."
101:Ashley Elizabeth Fratangelo
10:
476:
437:. 2 Mar 2003. p. WE9.
258:play opens with a rhyming
228:: "sensitive lumberjack".
166:New York Theatre Workshop
162:The Five Lesbian Brothers
151:
146:New York Theatre Workshop
141:
126:
91:
86:The Five Lesbian Brothers
81:
76:
403:Five Lesbian Brothers.
420:, 4 Oct. 1994, p. 100.
241:Mr. Ron Kembunkscher
179:: "Office Lesbian".
119:Mr. Ron Kembunkscher
455:Off-Broadway plays
340:The New York Times
204:: "The New girl".
418:The Village Voice
327:The Village Voice
155:
154:
72:
71:
64:
467:
439:
438:
430:
421:
414:
408:
401:
376:
365:
190:Ashley Elizabeth
137:
135:
74:
73:
67:
60:
56:
53:
47:
24:
23:
16:
475:
474:
470:
469:
468:
466:
465:
464:
460:Satirical plays
445:
444:
443:
442:
432:
431:
424:
415:
411:
405:The Secretaries
402:
379:
367:Evans, Greg. ""
366:
359:
354:
345:The Secretaries
331:The Secretaries
319:The Secretaries
316:
252:
174:
158:The Secretaries
142:Place premiered
133:
131:
122:
77:The Secretaries
68:
57:
51:
48:
37:
31:has an unclear
25:
21:
12:
11:
5:
473:
463:
462:
457:
441:
440:
435:New York Times
422:
409:
377:
356:
355:
353:
350:
323:James Hannaham
315:
312:
251:
248:
243:: "the boss".
235:Hank and Sandy
217:Peaches Martin
173:
170:
153:
152:
149:
148:
143:
139:
138:
128:
127:Date premiered
124:
123:
121:
120:
117:
116:Hank and Sandy
114:
111:
110:Peaches Martin
108:
105:
102:
99:
95:
93:
89:
88:
83:
79:
78:
70:
69:
33:citation style
28:
26:
19:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
472:
461:
458:
456:
453:
452:
450:
436:
433:"GOING OUT".
429:
427:
419:
413:
406:
400:
398:
396:
394:
392:
390:
388:
386:
384:
382:
374:
370:
364:
362:
357:
349:
346:
342:
341:
336:
332:
328:
324:
320:
311:
309:
303:
299:
295:
293:
289:
283:
280:
276:
271:
269:
265:
261:
257:
247:
244:
242:
238:
236:
232:
229:
227:
223:
220:
218:
214:
212:
208:
205:
203:
202:Patty Johnson
199:
196:
194:
191:
187:
185:
180:
178:
177:Dawn Midnight
169:
167:
163:
159:
150:
147:
144:
140:
129:
125:
118:
115:
112:
109:
106:
104:Patty Johnson
103:
100:
98:Dawn Midnight
97:
96:
94:
90:
87:
84:
80:
75:
66:
63:
55:
52:February 2018
45:
41:
35:
34:
29:This article
27:
18:
17:
434:
417:
412:
404:
372:
368:
344:
338:
335:Ben Brantley
330:
318:
317:
304:
300:
296:
284:
275:receptionist
272:
253:
250:Plot Summary
245:
240:
239:
234:
233:
230:
226:Buzz Benikee
225:
224:
221:
216:
215:
211:Susan Curtis
210:
209:
206:
201:
200:
197:
192:
189:
188:
181:
176:
175:
157:
156:
113:Buzz Benikee
107:Susan Curtis
58:
49:
30:
268:lumberjacks
222:Secretary.
449:Categories
352:References
343:described
193:Fratangelo
172:Characters
134:1994-09-20
92:Characters
82:Written by
44:footnoting
314:Reception
294:to join.
279:secretary
256:satirical
329:wrote, "
308:allegory
292:celibacy
40:citation
369:Variety
288:tampons
184:lesbian
132: (
260:prolog
277:to a
254:This
264:cult
42:and
337:of
325:of
451::
425:^
380:^
360:^
168:.
375:.
136:)
65:)
59:(
54:)
50:(
46:.
36:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.