A Round-Heeled Woman

Yes, this is the actual plot of the play, which just opened up at The Aldwych Theatre. And believe it or not, this a true story.

After being celebate for more than 30 years, Jane decides, after being goaded by two female friends, to place an ad in the New York Review of Books. Why this publication? Because she is passionate about books, especially romance novels. So after all these years of reading about fictional romance, she decides to cut to the chase, skip the romance bit, and meet men purely just for sex. And by placing an ad in that publication, she wants to make it clear that she is a well-educated (and round-heeled) woman.

So how many men respond to her ad? 67. How many of these end up on her 'no way' pile? Most of them.

However, the men she does actually meet in person (a few of them live in New York City, so she flies there to meet them), are what you would expect: horny, old men. A couple of them are creeps, especially the much older one, who is nothing special himself, who says he is not attracted to her. Another one is a rough and tough-looking taxi driver, while another one just wants to look at her boobs. They are not all busts, by the way. There is one man to whom Jane takes a liking, however, he comes with his own baggage. And then there is the much much younger man who takes a liking to Jane, but she thinks he is way too young for her. So is it all about sex for Jane? Well, it can be, but Jane has to get through the emotional baggage that she carries, which goes from being very estranged from her son, to having lived in a sex-less marriage, and also accepting her life as a spinster until that one day when she places that ad.

Sharon Gless looks and plays the part perfectly. With a twinkle in her eye, and a mischiveous smile, you almost think the play was written with her in mind to play Juska. Gless, who was one half of Cagney & Lacey (she played Cagney), has been playing this role for the past year and one-half, in San Francisco where it originated, to Miami, and now London. And in the audience on opening night was Tyne Daly (who played Lacey), who will star in her own show in the West End (Master Class) in January.

Some parts of the show are silly, especially the scenes where Juska talks to a make-believe romance book heroine, but for the most part it is a look into the world of a frisky older woman who puts herself out there. Good for her!

Tim Baros

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Tim Baros has worked in the derivatives industry for several large financial institutions in both the U.S. and the U.K. Tim moved from New York City to London in 2003 to take advantage of the many job opportunities that London had to offer at that time, and he has since become a British citizen. Tim enjoys writing, and has also had articles published in Touch London, Pride Life, CityAM and SquareMile.com.