Male perspectives dominate public dialogue about the Iraq War (about most wars, in fact). Smothered in praise since its 2003 UK debut, 9 Parts of Desire offers a female voice on a subject — and in a part of the world — where it is seldom heard. Iraqi-American writer/performer Heather Raffo embodies nine characters, not to hit demographic sweet spots but to acknowledge the complexity found in a country no longer paralyzed by fear of its dictator. As one nightmare gives way to another, Raffo's women become a prism that shatters our disconnect to the present we have wrought.