Waitin' 2 End Hell

This play, written by Northern California native William A. Parker, is a direct response to Terry McMillan's popular book Waiting to Exhale. McMillan's book can loosely be described as a group of women coming together to complain about the lack of quality men in their lives. In writing this play, Parker is intent on forgoing political correctness and perhaps being labeled misogynistic, in order to tell a similar story from the male perspective. The result is a funny and (usually) thoughtful examination of three relationships from "just dating" to 20 years of marriage. Many men who see this play, which features a talented cast, will no doubt think it speaks the truth, but the script is sometimes offensive, narrowly visioned, and sad. The female characters cheat, lie, and manipulate, while the men feel victimized ("Why do I have to beg for my coochie?"), although they constantly insist their women must be subordinate to them in the home ("In my house I am CEO"). Nevertheless, this production is still thought-provoking despite being occasionally maddening. But isn't that true of the ongoing battle of the sexes?