Spike Heels

The play is about how to get, use, and abuse power. Most of its emotionally-damaged characters scheme to dominate and control each another.

Andrew and Edward are power abusers. Andrew sees Georgie as a living experiment to test his theories of behavior: Can a street-wise, but under-educated woman be taught to find success the way he defines it? He demeans and browbeats her into acquiescence, while she accepts him as a superior—for a while, anyway. Edward stalks women in his office for consequence-free sexual conquests; his predation is repugnant given his horrific misogyny.

Georgie, trapped in their patriarchal nightmare, is doing her best to obtain power. To get it, she uses the only asset they insist she has: her sexuality. Convinced that her only access to job security is to seduce Edward, she somehow overcomes her disgust at his monstrousness and agrees to go on a date with him, trying to manipulating both Andrew and Edward in the same way they do her.

Lydia is unlike the others. Born into money, she doesn’t feel the need to scrape up the ladder. Instead, her financial independence allows her to wield actual power: She leaves Andrew cleanly after he dithers about their engagement, callously confessing that he loves Georgie in front of her.