NAN AND THE LOWER BODY

Leading a fine ensemble cast, acting stalwart Richard Schiff brings easy kindness, humor, and a delightful Eastern European accent to the brilliant and eccentric Dr. George Papanicolaou, inventor of the Pap smear. It's 1959, and hiring an intelligent young woman as an assistant seems like a no-brainer. But Nan, played with an energetic goodness by Ginnifer Goodwin, has more than research on her mind. She has just married a divinity student, and she may be battling a mysterious medical condition. The play's crisp dialogue and warm interactions lead to a potent and very human examination of how the medical community and society at large have treated, or failed to treat, the subject of women's health. Wonderfully inquisitive science-based theater. B.P. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2024]