Atosa Babaoff, Nicole Odell, Skyler Cooper, linda maria girón, and Raisa Donato Photo by Ben Krantz

That title will give you the slightest taste of how hysterically subversive, weird, and thrilling Collective Rage is. Over the course of 95 intermission-less minutes, the five performers–all playing women named Betty–will take you on a journey into a world where anger and frustration and desire and thwarted dreams and the very human need to be seen and acknowledged will have you both roaring with laughter and nodding in agreement. It matters not whether you identify as queer or trans or cisgender–or rich or poor or introverted or extroverted–Collective Rage has the ability to worm its way into almost any heart. (With the exception of, say, Franklin Graham, Monica Cole, Antonin Scalia, and those of similar close-minded ilk.)

Betty 1 (Nicole Odell) is an angry, frustrated, Upper East Side resident, the sort of woman Sondheim would have called one of "the ladies who lunch." When the news gets her down and her husband Richard tells her not to worry, that does nothing to make her feel better. So she resorts to what any good UES housewife would do–she throws a dinner party! Here we meet Betty 2 (Atosa Babaoff) and Betty 3 (linda maria girón). Betty 2, although she seems similarly situated as Betty 1 (married, well-off, racist without copping to it), is a bit of a shrinking violet, apologizing even when she's not at fault. How Betty 3 got invited to the party is a bit of a mystery–she works at Sephora (and hates it) and throws around lines like "the first time I fucked a girl I was like, "Bingo! I won! I won the fucking lottery!," which, of course, shocks Betties 1 and 2.

Bored by the party and peeved Betty 1 and Betty 2 don't like her free use of the P-word, Betty 3 throws her own dinner party, where she and Betty 2 meet the very butch Betty 4 (Raisa Donato), and Betty 3 distributes hand mirrors so all three can carefully examine–in Betty 3's words–their "vaginal situation,"/"cooch-ular area." Betty 5 (Skyler Cooper) finally makes their appearance in the next scene when they and Betty 4 are working on their trucks, but Betty 5 doesn't really come to life until they meet Betty 1, who comes to Betty 5's gym to learn to box in order to release her inner rage.

As all five women dive deeper into their desires–both secret and wide-open–their interactions serve to mock the stereotypes of women (and men) and lead them on a voyage of discovery that is far more than pussy deep. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the five Betties come together when Betty 3 has her first experience of "thea-tah" when a "rich white lady" takes her to see what she remembers as "Summer's Midnight Dream" and decides she will become a rich and famous actor by producing her own version of the play-within-a-play. In Shakespeare's version, the story is of Pyramus and Thisbe–which Betty 3 hilariously interprets as, variously, "Burmese and Frisbee," "Pyramid and Thirsty," and "Penis and Thursday."

If this all seems a little bit chaotic, you're not wrong. But under Becca Wolff's direction, the chaos serves to underscore the unsettled nature of these five Betties, each of whom is struggling to discover (or display) their true self. Fortunately for we in the audience, the five performers are not struggling, but instead seem to happily immerse themselves into these women. Though each character has their own flaws and foibles, each actor clearly loves their character, which allows us to love them as well.

When Betty 4 states, philosophically, that "a lot of things that seem like art are maybe just about pussy," it would be easy to dismiss Collective Rage as an example of that. But then Betty 4 immediately adds, "And then, also, things that are mostly about pussy might actually just be art." Bingo!

Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties has been extended through August 24, 2024, at Shotgun Players, Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley CA. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 5:00pm. Tickets are $28-$40 (with significant discounts for those under 25, those with financial hardships, and for trans people of color). For tickets and information, please visit www.shotgunplayers.org.