CRITIC’S PICK
Women have been forced into sexual slavery all over the world throughout history, even today. One of the many indignations that accompanies this fact is that the perpetrating men are not willing to call it what it really is.
Kumferted was inspired by the “Comfort Women” of the Japanese military during World War II. Women were kidnapped from their homes in Korea, China, the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies and forced into sexual slavery for soldiers at the cruelly and ironically named “Comfort Stations.” Performance Gallery, the talent behind Kumferted, agreed these spaces provided nothing close to comfort for anyone. Thus, they subverted the show’s name to match reality.
The show goes beyond the crimes of the Japanese during the war, taking the audience on a powerful tour through the 20th century’s various times and places where women were exploited in the most horrific of ways. Four women on stage give firsthand accounts of their characters’ plights in highly effective dramatic monologues that are bookended by a melancholic military marching chant: “We are women, we will comfort you. We’ll do anything you want us to…” The first portion of the show is darkly comedic, easing the audience into the first story, which takes place in Bulgaria. There, a woman’s husband holds hypocritical double standards for her and demands sex without love or respect. The next story is set in Nigeria, where a promising student is stolen from her dormitory by Boko Haram, a jihadist terrorist organization.They then force her to convert to Islam and “marry” one of their soldiers. The third part tells the tragic story of a Jewish woman raped by Nazi guards in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Last is a woman’s narrative of her time in one of the titular Japanese “Comfort Stations” and the lasting damage present, even decades after the war.
Kumferted is an incredibly emotional success on stage that reminds audiences that “we must all tell our stories or nothing will ever change.” Be sure to secure a seat early, because this show will fill up quickly.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival runs through June 15. Find showtimes, tickets and more info here. Check out more reviews from our CityBeat team here.
This article appears in May 29 – Jun 5, 2019.
