Do you feel overwhelmed at the never-ending surge of right-wing thinking around us? Are you perplexed about the rollback of reproductive rights and women’s rights in general? Do you have complicated memories relating to the musical Man of La Mancha? Are you Jewish, Jewish adjacent, or even just sort of Jew-positive? Do you need a good laugh? If you check any one of these boxes, and I check them all, let me tell you about the fun and inspiring show I saw last night at Baltimore’s Theater Project, accompanied by my support dachshund Wally and my trans friend and student Aryana.
Singer/songwriter/comic/writer Cynthia Kaplan calls “Cindy of Arc” a “c’ock show,” short for comedy rock show, and both she and the audience get great pleasure every time she repeats the phrase. Like many great comics of yesteryear (Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor come to mind), Kaplan does good things with bad words. From “Who Do I have to Fuck” to “Merry Fucking Christmas to You,” this cabaret-style revue will make you laugh. And think.
A skinny middle-aged blond woman in harlequin glasses and classic rock star jeans with legs to go with them, Kaplan bad-asses her way through 10 comic ditties on guitar, accompanied by three men who are introduced as “the Mikes.” Mike on drums, Mike on bass, and Mike on lead guitar. The show’s subtitle states that it’s “About the Problem Men Have With Lying and Where That’s Gotten the Rest of Us, Particularly Women. And Jews,” and in between songs on that theme—from Charlottesville Nazis and COVID deniers to avocado toast and migraines— she delivers topical monologues with appealing personal touches. There’s an adorable slide show with cartoons by New Yorker regular R. Sikoryak depicting all the main characters, from a young Cindy to Don Quixote to a dog named Otis, who required a $4000 operation after eating an avocado pit (hence the mixed feelings re: avocado toast.)
Speaking of Don Quixote, one of my favorite parts of the show was the explanation of how she chose the name Cindy of Arc. This section exemplified the good old-fashioned feminism that underlies much of Kaplan’s work, inspiring in me a big smile of nostalgia for the salad days of women’s lib, and making me extra-glad that I brought my fairly newly transitioned friend along so she could be introduced to the special burdens of womanhood.
In explaining the name-selection process, Kaplan told us how a male producer reacted to her Joan of Arc idea. This guy felt that her designated hero and inspiration should be a man, not a woman. And, as she put it, “not only a man, but a delusional old fart who causes mayhem wherever he goes!” Don Quixote!
This led to a hilarious riff on the song Don Quixote sings in Man of LaMancha, “To Dream the Impossible Dream?” Quixote continues from the title lyric to “To fight the unbeatable foe. To bear with unbearable sorrow. To run where the brave dare not go?”
Kaplan said, “Why does a man sing that song? Those are things women do.”
She went on to explain that she played the role of Aldonza in an elementary school production of the play. “You know what those guys wrote for Aldonza to sing? ‘Won’t you look at me, look at me, God, won’t you look at me! Look at the kitchen slut reeking with sweat! Born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap, A strumpet men use and forget!’
“I was nine.”
After the show there was a talkback with Kaplan and Maryland State Senator Cheryl Kagan about how we need to vote for candidates who will keep our state a stronghold for abortion rights and women’s health care, and they asked us to donate to the Women’s Health Center of Maryland (link below.)
Afterwards Aryana and I went up to introduce Wally and examine Kaplan’s t-shirt more closely. It was a bar mitzvah t-shirt displaying an updated version of the Sergeant Pepper’s album cover, including Obama. Unfortunately she didn’t have any extras.
Since I wouldn’t be able to identify a niche musical genre if it hopped into bed with me, here’s a PS from Aryana, who is a musician herself: “The show gave me early 90’s riot grrl political anarcho-punk folk meets Violent Femmes-style pop-rock. (Acoustic guitars never rocked so hard.) I loved her semi-call-and-response style interaction with the band; she’d make a point, and the band would kick in and emphasize it. I like how brazenly she wore her identity: Jewish! Woman! Especially in today’s climate.”
Yes! Go, Cindy of Arc.
To get a last minute ticket to the show or watch the trailer, click here.
To donate to Women’s Health Center of Maryland, click here.
