Madonna or Whore? It’s complex.
Holly Morgan’s new show celebrates controversial women throughout history
In her new show Madonna or Whore? Holly Morgan will be channeling controversial women from history and asks the big questions about identity, misogyny, and Madonna.
Ahead of opening night, we caught up with Holly Morgan for a behind-the-scenes look at the show:
What does the Madonna/Whore complex mean to you?
Freud’s concept that straight men split women into two categories of whore or virgin is very much alive and well. I don’t mean that as an attack on straight men who are obviously much less binary in their thinking than that — it’s us, it’s society.
We put women into the categories of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and, when we don’t know which one they fit, in we demonise them.
Pop-culture is deeply uncomfortable with sexual women, and that’s why Madonna is such an important pop icon, and one I want to celebrate.
Who are the women that you’ll be channelling into your show?
It’s only Madonna songs, but we get women from history singing them — including Lilith, the six wives of Henry VIII, the victims of Jack the Ripper, the women of Romantic Comedy, and the Virgin Mary. We also have some cameos from my girls Liza, Shirley, Britney, Celine, Tina, and Nicki.
Which is your favourite Madonna song to perform?
I’d have to say Like a Prayer. I did it in a school talent show and had no idea about the ‘down on my knees’ implications.
Which character from Sex and the City are you?
I think there’s some awful theory that Carrie’s psyche is actually made up of all of them, and that’s why the others have such clearly drawn character traits — bossy, fussy, whorey.
SATC was a landmark show for women, and one that I cherish dearly, but I mention it in the show as it does conform to some of the Madonna/Whore stereotypes. That being said, it was doing a great job with what it could do at the time for women on screen.
Short answer — I’m think of myself as a Miranda with shades of Samantha, but my friends tell me that I’m a blend of Anthony and Stamford.
How many wig changes will there be in this show?
A disappointingly-low four. Much less than my last show, but this time my accompanist Tom — who will be playing Sigmund Freud — will be donning the wigs as well.
What do you hope that people feel when watching this show?
I hope that they’ll feel angry at the political situation we’ve all found ourselves in, but hopefully inspired by Madonna’s example to not let society box you in by their shitty rules.
What next for Holly Morgan?
We’ve got a plan to take the show to Edinburgh, which is obviously a huge undertaking financially and creatively. Plus Tom and I are working on a comedy drama script. Oh yeah, and we decided to get married. That’ll show the patriarchy! Try putting me in a box now I’ve been validated by the marriage market! I do feel a little uncomfortable about being a married feminist, but I just want to feel like a princess on my big day!