LIBERATION by Bess Wohl to open at the James Earl Jones theatre in October — Page 3

I kind of like the interpretation that the art is giving the middle finger to the patriarchy. I have mixed feelings about it but think it will help sell tickets and for that I am happy. I liked the play but left discussing that I didn’t feel the nude scene was necessary. As a historical play, I have to appreciate that these nude consciousness raising sessions really happened though and I appreciate that Wohl is prompting us to explore how they helped (or not) the women’s liberation movement.

I specifically remember sending away for my subscription to Ms. magazine when I was about eleven or twelve. So I’ve been a member of the women’s lib club almost my whole life. I felt compelled to do a bit of chat gpt research on the nude aspect of these sessions after seeing the key art and found that there were divisive opinions about it back then too.

Reactions to Nudity in Feminist Consciousness-Raising / Body Sessions

Positive Experiences

“We realized we all had ‘imperfect’ bodies, and suddenly the beauty myths lost their power.”

“It was liberating to be naked without men present — to feel our bodies belonged to us, not to the male gaze.”

“Looking at our bodies together replaced shame with curiosity. We learned instead of hiding.”

Negative Experiences

“Instead of feeling free, I felt more self-conscious and compared myself to others.”

“The nudity distracted from the discussion. We spent more time on comfort levels than on politics.”

“Some women laughed, others cringed. It showed how different our comfort zones were, which sometimes divided us.”

I saw Liberation in early previews off Broadway and don’t recall seeing mixed reactions to this experience from the characters. I am curious if that changed at all. I look forward to revisiting this show.

I actually think that’s a really smart key art concept. The execution just feels off. I can’t put my finger on it but the photo itself feels a little uncanny valley/overcooked and the way the text is overlaying is a little of too. But from a broad standpoint—a really great idea IMO. Show them empowered, hey people talking, and also avoid any shock people people looking into the show and being deterred by the nudity.


I guess the only thing is—did it really get people talking as much as they thought it would? I’ve seen very little reactions to this.

This better be a big fat hit. If Stereophonic or John Proctor hit, there’s no reason why this much superior work shouldn’t be the biggest hit play in years given it’s a masterpiece.

Phillypinto2 said: "This better be a big fat hit. If Stereophonic or John Proctor hit, there’s no reason why this much superior work shouldn’t be the biggest hit play in years given it’s a masterpiece."

Updated On: 10/7/25 at 03:20 PM

Falsettolands said: "I don't want to be one of those usersthat comeon here just to trash a show, but I wanted to throw into the unanimous praise I've seen here to sayI simply could not stand this play. I've never thought Wohl was a great playwright, but I find Grand Horizons and Make Believe to be far stronger. What seemed to crash and burn about Liberationthe most was:

But I think I may rush it to see if it's any more compelling on the main stem. Maybe I was having a bad day?"

This is funny because I absolutely hate Grand Horizons and had written off Bess Wohl as a playwright, but was given a ticket to this and it completely knocked me out. I thought it was one of the best and most nuanced explorations of feminism I've seen on stage.

Also genuinely confused by your comment about black women and the white feminist movement since that is a pretty significant moment in the show that is dealt with incredibly well and honestly by a white playwright who both knows her lane but recognizes it needs to be explored here.

Updated On: 10/4/25 at 07:09 PM