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Bloody Bess: A Tale of Piracy and Revenge
Conceived by Stuart Gordon
Written William J. Norris & John Ostrander
Directed by Geoff Coates
Produced by BackStage Theatre Company
At the Storefront Theatre
77 E. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL
Call 312-742-8497, tickets $20 -$18 for students/seniors
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours with intermission
Through July 20, 2008
Action packed swashbuckling long on blood and guts
Kudos to BackStage Theatre Company for remounting the cult favorite “Bloody Bess: A Tale of Piracy and Revenge” originally produced by the old Organic Theatre. This production reminded me more of a Defiant Theatre production with its emphasis on stage combat and bloody action. This is a worthy production despite some strange accents and several players speaking a tad too fast. The action is fast and furious with several scary sword and knife fights. Kudos to Geoff Coates and Dave Skvarla for their breathtaking fight choreography. This pirate genre show is filled with archetypical pirates and evil government officials. What makes this show work on a basic level is the manic pace and the fierce action. The story is thread barren and predictable but so what—its all about the swashbuckling adventure. One of the things I like about this show is that it doesn’t take itself seriously. The light tone and the on purpose over-the-top performances by the pirates serve the play well. This stunt-filled adventure is fun.
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“Bloody Bess: A Tale of Piracy and Revenge” tells the story of Elizabeth Presberty (Eva Swan), the daughter of the English governor of Tobago who become a prisoner of Captain Levoisseur (Gregory Isaac) and his band of pirates. They want to ransoms Elizabeth to her father but the evil Eaton (Scott Graham) killed her father and deceives Levoisseur while he covets Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. Aided by the female-butch pirate Annie Bailey (Stephanie Repin), Elizabeth emerges as the pirate leader as she coolly plots her revenge against Cullen. While the story is weak, the action and several performances make this show worthy of an audience. Eva Swan and Stephanie Repin are strong and Scott Graham is deliciously evil. The ensemble displays their machismo and their fighting skills. The gusto of this play dominates. It is light hearted and spirited.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2008
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