Op-Ed: Mason Pilevsky, 20 October 2024
I write this review of Teeth as a cautionary tale in the form of an op-ed rather than an actual review. Theatre is a medium with many forms and genres. Just like any form of media, loving the theatre does not mean there aren’t genres I shy away from. In music, I shy away from rap, autotune, and anything made solely of technology. In movies, I shy away from horror, roms with no coms, and animated feature films with no adult dimensions. Theatre is a medium that can hold space for all of that, and plenty of the things I do enjoy: deep philosophical dives, critiques of systemic societal structures, connections to other places and times, vivid imaginations, characters who resonate with some element of who I am– bonus points if I learn something. What I learned at Teeth was that not all genres of theatre are for me – even if the shows are wickedly successful, critically acclaimed, and exceptionally well-attended.

Teeth was not for me. But instead of trashing it, I’d like to hold space for what it is, because I do believe that in order for the public to keep the art of theatre alive, we have to allow a diversity of genres vast enough to invite, entice, and intrigue other kinds of people. Theatre belongs not to the critic, but to the people. And, as a critic, I serve as a liaison to those people. It is my obligation to help people who do not get to see every show decide which ones might be for them by expressing what it is I saw. Here goes.

Teeth is a rock and roll musical following the sexual awakening of a young girl, only to discover that her vagina has literal teeth that bite, sever, and kill. The protagonist embarks on an adventure, exploring her sexual shame to find out what is wrong with her body, and instead finds herself the reincarnation of an ancient female deity with the power to take down men, particularly those who violate women’s body autonomy. Other notable characters include an over-the-top pastor with strong ideas about masculinity, the son who he physically beats for seeking a less painful understanding of what it means to be a man, every teenage girl’s gay best friend, the hot-but-sweet guy who everyone wants to date, a very frightening gynecologist, and a chorus of girls who become femme fatales who are completely undifferentiated from each other. The story takes on the feel of a campy cult classic, and this iteration at New World Stages includes ponchos for the splash zone where you might get wet, confetti, fire, and anatomically correct(ish) severed penises that come down from the ceiling and dangle above the audience on strings.

As a theatre critic who frequently analyzes sexuality and gender politics in shows, I confess that I found the rigidity of the binary in this show dismaying, especially given that, despite a mostly female cast, there’s only one female character who has any kind of depth or story. But the audience was having fun – laughing and screaming and reacting more than any I’ve seen in a theater in a long time. I may have felt that the actors tried too hard to be funny and didn’t trust the source material to be funny on its own, but, for many, it landed. It is critical for the art of theatre that we keep shows like Teeth in large venues. Theatre critics are not the only audience. Further, we’re not the only opinions that matter. Whatever it is about this show that is getting young women interested in theatre should stay an option, whether they remain interested and develop a taste for theatre or not. Although Teeth was not my cup of tea, theatre exists in many forms and genres, not all of them dark and serious.

Critics should fight to keep it that way. Critics have a duty to acknowledge, protect, and celebrate everything that theatre has been, is now, and might become. We all deserve the freedom to explore and engage. Stepping outside my comfort zone at Teeth was a privilege that I appreciate having. I encourage everyone to experiment with genre every once in a while. You might find something great or fun or powerful – even if it’s in yourself.