THE STORY: Cat, a whip-smart journalist on the path to greatness, is on a first date with Guy at the restaurant he owns with his wife. Despite the minor detail of his marital status, Cat is swept up by his lethal charms, marking the beginning of a relationship that will irrevocably change her life. With each passing year, Cat’s success, social circle, and independence are gradually eaten away by her parasitic lover and her ongoing battle with Lyme disease, all against the backdrop of a fracturing post-2016 America. At once hilarious and harrowing, THE PAIN OF MY BELLIGERENCE fearlessly examines how women find themselves participating in a culture that was never meant to serve them, and whether a more hopeful future is possible.
“[Feiffer] is a virtuoso in creating self-lacerating heroines. …she has created a perfectly self-contained, socially resonant portrait of a woman attracted to a man for all the wrong reasons.” —The New York Times.
“Once again, Halley Feiffer’s feminist brilliance takes center stage. …[Feiffer] has created…an explicit probe into the psyche of political correctness and behavioral norms. The end of the piece, set in 2020, brings hope, new beginnings, and a deep sigh after thinking about what we have all been through. …Both cathartic and heart-wrenching, THE PAIN OF MY BELLIGERENCE offers a fresh and uncomfortable examination of love, loss and illness.” —The Broadway Blog.
“Halley Feiffer’s THE PAIN OF MY BELLIGERENCE forces us to consider the sizable gap between lust and joy, a chasm wide enough to swallow your whole life.” —TheaterMania.
“…the playwright’s sharp, intelligent dialogue always engages and intrigues.” —BroadwayWorld.
