British Playwright Penelope Skinner's "Linda" at MTC Sees Foibles for Aging Females

British playwright Penelope Skinner (b 1978) previous play last season at MTC:  "The Ruins of Civilization" was a dark, thriller.  "Linda" is lighter drama but brutal black comedy that puts all the pitfalls facing women past their prime.  Skinner creates a clever, modern career woman whose an ad executive for a cosmetics company.  Linda (Olivier Award winner, Janie Dee) is married with two precocious daughters and a demanding career based on maintaining women's youthful beauty.  One daughter is an aspiring actress still in high school.  (She posts a Medea billboard above her bed.)  The older daughter is a college drop out who dresses in a skunk bodysuit since being exposed on the internet in sexual embarrassing images by her ex-boyfriend.   These minor characters add enriching layers to what is essentially a dissection of women as having a shelf-life with an expiration date in a man's world.  There are many sharp & astute observations made by Skinner who fully flushes Linda's character with multiple dimensions, strengths & foibles.  The audience empathizes with the anguish women feel as they age in a world that puts a premium on youth & beauty.  The smart, revolving set swiftly shifts from home to work to the sister's bedroom without skipping a beat.  Enter the new ingenue, Amy (a talented Molly Griggs "Ultimate Beaity Bible") ready & willing to push Linda aside & claim the corner office.  While I liked the 1st ACT, Act II pushed the play into a farce incongruous with striking a nerve regarding women and the aged old proverb that when the bloom is of the rose - so goes the glory.  Skinner's clever writing went awry in Act II.  The acting was strong all round but I'm only recommending you stay at the play for Act I.  In other words - once the show has 50% past, it goes downhill fast.