Description

Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection…that ends in a song and a scaffold.


…in this sparkling work, politics is very, very funny. [Gunderson] knows it’s tricky to present entertaining, yet socially driven art, but she does so without losing the rhythm and forward momentum of her characters…These are hilarious and lovable women trapped in a history with a somber final act. - Houston Chronicle. …an astoundingly accomplished show…a cause for rejoice…Ingeniously conceived and delivered. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution. …a sassy, hold-on-to-your-seats theatrical adventure…[Gunderson] has created a play that is wonderfully wild and raucous…It’s a wild ride, filled with verbal gymnastics that come racing at you so quickly it’s occasionally hard to keep up. Listen closely, though, and hang on tight. If you do, you’ll be treated to an invigorating and enlightening journey. - Cincinnati Enquirer It’s simply a brilliant script… - CityBeat (Cincinnati). …

Credits

No credits have been posted.

Reviews

Black Box Theatre’s ‘The Revolutionists’ is ‘cutting-edge’ humor, history
- Mike Cook, Las Cruces Bulletin

aywright Lauren Gunderson has taken delightful liberties with history to create a funny and thought-provoking show that is the perfect way for Las Cruces audiences to celebrate Women’s History Month at Black Box Theatre (BBT).

This is the bloody middle of the French Revolution (1789-99) that started the year George Washington was inaugurated as America’s first president and ended with the fall of the French monarchy a decade later. During the 1793-94 Reign of Terror alone, hundreds of thousands of people were arrested as enemies of the revolution, thousands died in prison and thousands more lost their heads – including the king and queen.

Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) was, of course, that queen - the last queen of France before the revolution. She is wonderfully portrayed by Karen Buerdsell, who continues to distinguish herself as one of Las Cruces’ best, hardest working and most versatile actors.

Marianne Angelle is a fictional free black woman who is fighting for the rights and freedom of her people on the island of Saint Domingue (Haiti), a French colony, 1659-1804. Lisa Taylor, who plays Angelle, appeared in BBT’s production of “Radium Girls” and in ToadHall Production’s “Murderess.” In “The Revolutionaries,” she creates a passionate and deeply interesting character who drives the action of the play as she represents the fearless women who were leaders and soldiers in the Haitian Rebellion (1791-1804).

Charlotte Corday (1768-93) was the real-life assassin of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical politician during the French Revolution. It is remarkable that Penny Bever, who plays Corday, is a ninth grader who already has extensive stage credits, including performances with BBT, A Children’s Theatre of the Mesilla Valley and the Theatre Department at New Mexico State University. Her portrayal of Corday is both vulnerable and powerful and is another strong credit in her theatre resume.

Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793), played by Brigitte Kearns, was a French playwright and political activist who fought for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery in France and its colonies. It is her pen that brings together Corday, Angelle and Marie Antoinette in their search for writings – and rewrites – that will tell their stories and secure their places in history. In one of her first stage roles, Kearns brings out the many levels of this compelling and challenging historical figure in a worthy and memorable performance.

A fifth character in the play is Madam la Guillotine, the instrument of death that looms upstage center throughout the production, thanks to scenic designer Joshua Taulbee.

Kudos to Autumn Gieb, another of Las Cruces’ finest actors, for her work as director, and to crew members Peter Herman (technical director), Bekah Taulbee (lighting design), Gieb and Melissa Muñoz Chavez (costume design), who recently retired after a brilliant career teaching theatre at Mayfield High School, Naomi B. Gomez (makeup design), Darlene DeMondo (properties design) and Benjamin Bever, Charlie Bever and Makena Taylor (backstage crew).

Remaining performances of “The Revolutionists,” at BBT, 430 N. Main St. downtown, are 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, March 17-18 and 24-25; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 19 and 26; and 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23.

Tickets are $15 regular admission, $12 for students and seniors over age 65 and $10 for all tickets for the Thursday, March 23, performance only.

Tickets are on sale at the theatre, by phone at 575-523-1223 and online at www.no-strings.org

Seating

No seating plan has been posted.