Artful Acting, Farcical Fun
Under the skillful direction of Babes With Blades ensemble member Morgan Manasa, the cast delivers a laugh a minute. Whether it’s slapstick shenanigans or quick-fire costume changes, mistaken identities or amusing malapropisms, these actors bring a sense of humor and joy to every scene.
Deanalís Resto is captivating in the lead role of Trothe, an ingenue with a fierce side. Megan Schemmel inspires giggles and gasps as Trothe’s imperious, touch-averse aunt Theodosia, master of both the blade and the aristocratic put-down. Linsey Falls as family lawyer Abernathy is a virtuoso of mansplaining, earnestly warning female characters not to concentrate too hard on complex matters, ‘lest their brains overheat.’ And Amanda Forman simply astonishes as Prussian swordmaster Luitger: unhampered by their dialogue being entirely in German, they convey fine shades of emotion and meaning (even to exclusively anglophone audience members) through tone, expression, body language, and the odd English cognate.
Yet among a host of fine performances, Kate Booth and Ari Kraiman steal the show as Penelope and Tilly, Trothe’s favorite and second favorite servants—though in one of the play’s running jokes, these rankings alternate from moment to moment—who can add but not subtract, and subtract but not add, respectively. Scheming to save their mistress from the untenable options of a loveless marriage, the nunnery, and a duel to the death, they concoct a plan both brilliant and absurd. Along the way, Penelope embarks on a love story of her own, while Tilly nurses a growing ambition for independence. Suffice it to say, the servants’ narratives are every bit as engaging as those of their social ‘betters.’
Babes With Blades Displays Trademark Heart and Wit
While Trothe’s desire to keep her home and marry her sweetheart drive the main plot, many different kinds of love animate this production. There is Penelope and Tilly’s camaraderie. There is their affection for the young woman they take care of and hers for them. There is Trothe’s warm admiration for Theodosia and Theodosia’s protective if slightly chillier reciprocation. And there is the growing chemistry between Penelope and Luitger, the suitor she had originally recruited for Trothe.
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