Sodomy and Pedicures: An Austinst Interview with Jessica Hedrick

When you call your play Sodomy and Pedicures: A Pinko Feminazi Confesses, you’re bound to catch our attention. But not only does the title rock, Jessica Hedrick’s brazen one-woman show is directed by Rude Mech Sarah Richardson and assisted by Carlos Trevino (of Physical Plant fame). Our interest piqued, and with the show opening this Friday at the play! Theatre (reserve tickets now, dude) we decided to track down this Jessica Hedrick woman, and get the skinny on what these Confessions are all about.

Below you’ll find some choice excerpts from our conversation. Intelligent, brazen, and outright hysterical, it’s no wonder this former Austinite’s return home is generating some serious buzz.

Jessica Hedrick: Back in NYC I recently had a first-date ask me if I was "properly manicured." Well-educated banker from London. "Are you properly manicured?"

"Am I properly MANICURED?" I repeated, incredulous. "What do you MEAN?"

"Oh, Jessica, I think you know what I mean" he purred back.

"I think I do too," I sputtered, "but I want you to say it."

"All right then, are you properly manicured, down there? Brazilian?"

Now. Okay. I know I attract crazies, but I think: nowadays there's this okayness about demanding wacky beauty standards that my mother's generation fought as being sexist and tiresome. The boob job and nose job you'd hear about on the occasional Hollywood basket case are now graduation presents for suburban teenage girls. Even worse: some people actually view this as a form of EMPOWERMENT. "This is for me!" Botox, Brazilian waxes, reconstructed labias. Right.

I'm the confessing pinko feminazi, it's true.

When I started work on this show, I was interested in talking about how obscenely ill equipped I feel to be female in New York City. The taken-for-granted obsession with shoes, waxings, pedicures, highlights, personal trainers—it doesn't exist in Austin, where, as the child of a women's studies professor (Mom) and a Communist (Dad), I found it very easy to roll into HEB with my nightgown on, no makeup, and combat boots. Austin has changed since then, but still—it's easier just to be a flawed MAMMAL flailing down the street on any given day. One can leave the house without considering one's presentation of oneself as a PUT TOGETHER WOMAN. Which, after all, doesn't really exist. At least, I try to tell myself that.

What was hard about this show was allowing my own shit to stink, to be available to my own vanity, confusion, hubris and envy. Also difficult was the sense of betraying some loved ones. Although a "Jessica" persona does most of the talking here, there are 12 distinct characters who join the fray, including both my parents (who are NOT allowed to see the show), four ex-boyfriends, one friend who doesn't know I'm doing this (basically transcribed her word for word—I'm totally going to hell), my therapist and a one-night stand.

You asked about Austin's rep in NYC. Definitely people there perk up when I mention Austin. They say, "I hear there's a good theater scene down there." Or, "I hear you can rent rehearsal space that's affordable down there." The whole idea of how much time and space we have to rehearse is pretty fetishized in NYC. But at the same time, it's MUCH easier to find a decent paying day job there. In Austin I struggled much harder to find work that paid enough to live on.

That said, I'm SO EXCITED to be back here. For all its challenges, this town holds my favorite people in all the world.

Sodomy and Pedicures: A Pinko Feminazi Confesses
play! Theatre
August 18-20 & 25-27
Fri, Sat, & Sun at 8 PM
$10

Email pinkofem(@)gmail.com to make your reservations

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jonathon Morgan in Arts & Entertainment on August 17, 2006 5:36 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Brenner

Oh, c'mon, Tom ... any woman can talk with a toothpick in her mouth.

Jooley Ann

Tom, I'm not sure whether you were completely unable to connect to the material, or were offended by it.

First you say that you found the script repetitive and Hedrick's performance tiresome. In that, it sounds like you were bored. There's very little that rankles me more than rehashed, unimaginative theatre. So I get your gripe. However, I found the material to be fresh and Hedrick's performance a delight, so in that we disagree. I was engaged; you were not.

But then you suggest that you'd have liked to have stopped Hedrick from speaking by receiving a BJ from her. Hmm. That implies *some* kind of connection with her work, though not a positive one to be sure. Still, I've never responded to childish, uninteresting theatre with the wish to have the performer(s) fellate me. Take a nap? It has happened. Grumble and glare as I leave? Sure. But that's about it.

I've wondered whether "S&P" is better suited to women, but then again I know several men who really enjoyed this show. But...which is it for you, Tom? A disconnect from a bland, juvenile work, or an offense from...something else?

Tom

Saw it tonight. Damn near walked out. She is an okay performer but the "script," as it were, touched on repetitive and borish cliches. Maybe she will get better. It reminded me of high school girls all giggling in the corner about things that were only funny to them. I kept looking at my watch and wondering why I was there.

Richard Pryor was hilarious. Jessica Hedrick was vaguely tolerable in this "role." I wanted her to give me a BJ but mostly so she wouldn't be able to speak. Not hilarious by any stretch unless you equal tiresome to hilarious.

Jooley Ann

Saw it last night -- *hilarious* indeed! Not sure why it only stuck as "pretty funny" to Seely. Was a much-needed, laugh-filled break from reality for us. Full review coming soon.

Seely

Um... okay. I thought it was pretty funny at Fusebox. Maybe I missed the necessary pre-party to think it was as HILARIOUS as these other people? Most of it is neo-feminism served up with some acid-tongued evil-twin Rita Rudnerisms. It's entertaining.

Brenner

Some guy at the Austin Chronicle, who was lucky enough to catch Hedrick's performance during Fusebox a few months ago, had this to say in the Theatre Listings section:

"You know when you catch a show on cable at a friend's house, and it's some woman doing a monologue about her wacky childhood and subsequently wacky adult sex life, and after a few minutes you realize that the woman is an incredible actress and a terrific writer and you're doubled over and howling because the material she's performing is so goddam funny and so identifiably true to life and you figure, hey, if this is what's available on cable these days, you're going to subscribe ASAP regardless of the cost? Well, this is better than that. Her name is Jessica Hedrick, a former Austinite now visiting from New York, and this show of hers, about "a daughter of extreme lefty idealists trying to find her place in a porn-star world," will give you a comedy orgasm after much comedy foreplay."

Yeah: what he said.

And you don't have to be able to "appreciate" great theatre --- whatever that means. And you don't have to be a fanatic about stand-up comedy in general. And you don't have to be a chick or a dude, in particular. You just have to be human and like laughing your ass off, and you won't enjoy ANY show ANYWHERE in town or onscreen more than you'll enjoy this one.

I mean, sweet bleeding christ without a tampon, this woman is fucking HILARIOUS.

Jonathon

Thank god you were able to use the phrase "ego fluffer".

Thank god.

In more relevant news: totally pumped about this show.

erikamay

uh, having basically stalked jessica's performances prior to her departure to NY, i can only say that austin is a TRES better performance place with her back in the fold.

i normally stray from being an ego fluffer to theatre folk, but this lady is awesome.

period.

(yay!)