by Wyn Wyatt of Patapsco
Five pairs of glowing red eyes pierce into you, you start to sweat as you gather your courage and hold up your shimmering sword. The shrieks and roars shake the ground, but you maintain your stance. This is it. Breathe in. Breathe out. And the final fight begins.
“She Kills Monsters” performed by Indian Creek School was an “edge of your seat” experience sure to make anyone want to go home and play their own D&D adventure. Between killer fairies, bug bears (Are they bugs? Are they bears?), and the infamous Tiamat, this show was a roller coaster of emotions from start to finish. And while, yes, fighting dragons and ripping out people’s throats is, like, totally awesome, “She Kills Monsters” also tells us that our stories will live on, even after we die. And while not all of us can be as cool as Tillius the Paladin, each of us has a unique story to tell.
With being such a tech-heavy show, Indian Creek did a phenomenal job at handling all of the different aspects with ease. A few highlights include the short, stop motion film shown in the beginning of the show. Not only were all the shots incredibly detailed and unique, but it created a sort of cinematic set up for the show that set the show apart from an “ordinary” high school play. Lighting and sound cues were always on point and everything flowed seamlessly from one to the next. Overall, despite the many challenging technical details to this show, everything was beautifully executed.
The cast of “She Kills Monsters” had such developed characters and chemistry with one another, that there wasn’t an ingenuine moment onstage. The two sisters, Agnes, played by Grace Walworth, and Tilly, played by Ava Rouse, perfectly displayed both sides of a sisterly bond�and we all know what that means. Yes, you love them, you care for them, you laugh with them, but then sometimes you want to bang their Smashing Pumpkins CD right over their head. Grace and Ava carried the show, making every moment one to remember. Another stand out performance was by Justine Krizan as Kaliope. Not only did she embody the “elven supermodel” attitude essential to the character, she also added a British dialect that was well done and consistent throughout the show. Her comedic timing never failed and she created a very likable character with an interesting twist.
Every cast and crew member in Indian Creek’s production deserves recognition. These were incredibly professional and passionate actors/technicians whose love for “She Kills Monsters” shone through onstage.
Now let’s get back to the adventure, shall we?
The performance reviewed was from Sunday, 11/17/2019 .
MD Theatre Guide proudly supports the Cappies by publishing select submitted reviews. The submitted reviews are not edited by MD Theatre Guide. The views expressed in the reviews are of the guest writer and do not represent the opinion of MD Theatre Guide.
