Annoyance Theatre Celebrates Women's History Month with THE BALLAD OF LYDIA PINKHAM

The year was 1873, and all Lydia Pinkham wanted was to help her neighbors in a time when getting effective, affordable healthcare was nearly impossible for women. What started as a passion for homegrown herbal remedies evolved into one of the largest homeopathic enterprises in the nation. But Lydia Pinkham's success story had a dark side that is all too familiar for women still today. Her sons' marketing concept of using their mother's face on all product and promotions lit a firestorm of criticism and cruelty from the public. There were no social media accounts at the time, but that didn't stop anonymous trolls from criticizing her appearance in national newspapers and local gossip columns. Some people even went as far as to send anonymous letters to Lydia's home expressing cruel and completely irrelevant comments. Lydia never sought out fame. She didn't willingly put herself out there looking for critique or criticism. Still, she had to read daily insults about her "cast iron smile" and her "face pervading the mind of the nation like a nightmare." In the end, Lydia had to decide if the harassment and cruelty was worth fighting in order to achieve her dreams.

This is the timeless struggle that creators Jenilee Houghton and Chris Causer chose to explore when developing their new play. The epically long tongue-in-cheek title, The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham's Magical, Miracle, Sure-Cure for all Female Weaknesses is a reflection of both the perspective of the time in which the story takes place as well as a hint of the ironic and over-the-top humor that Chris and Jenilee use to tell this tale.

"It's a hard pill to swallow," says playwright Jenilee Houghton, "to see such clear evidence of how little things have changed in over 100 years. But instead of presenting an hour of non-stop, gut-wrenching parallels, we chose to use the hilarious absurdity of the real life events to celebrate Lydia Pinkham and to comment on the timeless flaws of today's society."

"That's not to say we don't hit on some really hard moments, " adds director Chris Causer. "I didn't feel we could do this story justice without exploring the real, honest pain this woman went through."

The outcome is an emotional whirlwind that will leave audiences laughing, crying, delighted, enraged and most of all moved. In true Houghton and Causer style, the play includes a wide range of storytelling techniques including movement, dance and original music. Chris and Jenilee teamed back up with Todd Risenmay, one of their collaborators from Bicycle Day, to help lead the bluegrass musicality within the play. Causer has utilized his professional dance background to add some gorgeous moments that give the audience a chance to see the narrative from a wordless, emotionally driven perspective. Jenilee and Chris's design in both costumes and props, bring a touching element of nostalgia and history to the stage.

The talented cast of musicians and storytellers also includes Linsey Belics, Tim Huggenberger, Kelly Lohrenz, Max McKune, Michaela Shapiro, Elana Weiner-Kaplow and Jack Wright. Tyler Sonkin rounds out the team as the production stage manager and assistant director.

The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham opens March 21 at The Annoyance Theatre and runs every Thursday at 8pm until April 18. For tickets and more information, visit TheAnnoyance.com.

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