(Robert Hurwitt’s articles appeared 3/6—‘Fabulation’—and 3/4—‘Ruined’—in the San Francisco Chronicle.)
‘FABULATION, OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE’
Funny how a bad day can spin out of control to take your whole life down the drain. Funny and serious, too, for the title character in Lynn Nottage's "Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine." In some respects, losing control may be the best thing for her. In others, not.
‘RUINED’
The subject matter is as grim as it gets – the mass rape, mutilation and murder of women in the seemingly endless conflict in the eastern Congo. Lynn Nottage's riveting "Ruined" doesn't understate the horror but avoids bludgeoning us with it or preaching about it. More remarkably, Nottage finds a ray of hope, even joy, for the women and men trapped in this ongoing nightmare.