The Revoluntionists, currently playing at The Colonial Players of Annapolis, is a romp of a play. Like much comedy, it has has a serious core. Think of this as the “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” (Mary Wollstonecraft) with barbed wit, fierce boots, daggers, and swagger.
This is a rollicking, rambunctious show and a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening. It is a genuine pleasure to watch these four talented actors bite into these roles and shake them for all they’re worth.
It’s 1793 and the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror is in full swing. Playwright Olympe de Gouges (Mary C. Rogers) is trying to come up with a play that is feminist and advocates for the rights of women in the new society, but in a way that won’t get her killed. She’s really hoping a musical might do that. She is interrupted by Caribbean spy, Marianne Angelle (Samantha McEwen Deininger), who has heard that she is the best playwright in Paris and wants her to write some tracts. Or maybe declarations. Or perhaps pamphlets. And manifestos are good too. Whatever it takes to make people (read men) think and realize that slavery is a crime against humanity and that all deserve equality, liberty, and sisterhood. (Yes, these women take some liberties with the slogans, and why not?!) While she’s endeavoring to persuade de Gouges to write a tract, not a monologue, would-be assassin Charlotte Corday (Carey Bibb) hammers her way in and demands a line. It must be a great line for it will be her final line ever. She plans to assassinate Marat in his bathtub and then become a martyr to the cause of true liberty and equality. She knows she’ll have no successful escape route, so this is a one-way mission.
Our little group of rebels is rounded out by former queen, Marie Antoinette (Ryan Gunning Harris), who would like to escape her fate. If that can’t happen, then she wants to be remembered, not as a profligate queen who said “let them eat cake,” but as a woman who was a mother, and as much a victim of misogyny as, well, all of woman at the time. After all, her only expectation was to have children. Never mind the three years it took to consummate the marriage.
This is where the truth will out. Each woman will have to figure out exactly what her values are and how to reconcile those with the realities of the mission on which she is embarking. Naturally there are doubts, there is plain speaking, there is compassion, and there is the creation of a sisterhood. When one is weak, another is strong for her. These moments especially showcase the chemistry among the four actors which is palpable. In addition, all four are gifted with a refined sense of comedic timing. They just seem to enjoy playing together and do it well.
Director Jennifer Cooper uses the theatre-in-the-round set up for this production and the zaniness of the script to underscore the chaos of the era, and the sense of danger from the revolutionary committee as they consolidate power.
Costumer designer Amy Atha-Nicholls had some fun with these costumes. They are gender- and time-bending, but fit the characters of the women — or the characters they will grow into. Leigh Rawls, the makeup/hair/wig designer, had some real fun with these aspects of the characters — Harris’s Marie Antoinette wig is a masterpiece of stability.
Set designer and video projection designer Richard Atha-Nicholls has done nice work incorporating video into the production (the guillotine, for one, and the masked judges of the court, for another).
This is a rollicking, rambunctious show and a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening. It is a genuine pleasure to watch these four talented actors bite into these roles and shake them for all they’re worth.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 20 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.
Show Advisory: Adult language, violent themes, mature content, and flashing strobes.
“The Revolutionists” runs through October 2, 2021 at The Colonial Players of Annapolis, 108 East Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. The show is in-person (fully-masked and socially-distanced seating) and also available live-streaming on Broadway on Demand. For more information, please click here.
