Ethel's Tongue.
photos by Sarah Walker.
Ethel Gray, a wild wanna-be flapper, has made it to New York City and is trying her luck at its bar scene.
Hopping from one speakeasy to the next, she dreams of making her big break and attaining ‘it girl’ status. However, Ethel’s tongue has called out a few too many drunken men a few too many times, her most recent number:
“Why don’t you go take a trip to the supermarket George? Maybe there you’ll find some melons you can respectfully grab!”
landing her a lashing and firing from her third dancing job. In a fit of rage, sadness, determination and madness, Ethel runs backstage and delivers a monologue lamenting her misfortune but all with the spark of the ambitious flapper girl of the 1920s. She won’t take no for an answer and with her stage name 'The Fox' taking on its own infamy and dangerous persona, she knows it won't be long before the world is bowing at her feet.
Ethel’s Tongue was a solo show that I wrote, produced, designed and performed. It was presented as a part of ‘The Inventory’ at the Testing Grounds. ‘The Inventory’ featured 16 solo works performed across two nights in May 2023.
