Review: Epic Theatre Rules the Yard with THESE RUTHLESS BITCHES

Epic Theatre kicks off their page to stage season with a delightfully catty update to Clare Boothe Luce classic The Women retitled THESE RUTHLESS BITCHES. All of the original themes are still present: loyalty to men, the notion of the Ideal Woman, but everything is slightly sideways in that this re-telling takes place in a Women's Prison. Comparisons to Orange is the New Black are obvious and easy to make, but telling the story of upper class women in a prison rather than a parlor works surprisingly well. Instead of being captive by the rules of society, which may not ring as true for the audience today, these women are literally captive by the legal system and have merely transferred their social hierarchies and rules to a more drab environment.

The plot revolves around Mary Haines, a woman who has taken the fall for her money-laundering husband only to find out that he's been cheating on her and everyone knows it. The role is played perfectly by Emily Lewis who manages to come across as naive, but not stupid; hurt, but not weepy and relatable in a way that makes the viewer want to be her friend and cheer her on. It's a truly satisfying performance to watch because it's subtle and restrained, but as the character of Mary evolves and develops the backbone she needs to thrive in prison and as an independent person Lewis takes command of the stage and makes the audience feel like her triumph is theirs.

As with most Epic productions, the sets and props are minimal--dialogue is king. This puts tremendous pressure on the actors to keep the energy up, and unfortunately there are a few moments where the momentum slips a bit, but as the tension builds, the narrative propels itself forward. The original script is heavily edited so that the production is much tighter and every word matters.

Other delightful comedic touches serve to re-remind the viewers that while our actors may be dressed in khaki drab, they are still society ladies with all of the manners and sashaying that requires. Since the setting is a women's prison, the servants have been replaced by guards and the actors all wear shapeless variations on the prison uniform. That doesn't stop them from flouncing off stage and using exaggerated gestures that indicate they're so used to wearing ballgowns, that walking as if they're carrying heavy skirts is just the way they naturally move. It's just a shame that they didn't construct a makeshift fainting couch, because I'm sure these characters would have taken full advantage of that.

The most hilarious bits of physical comedy and over-the-top reactions belong to Paige Barry who plays one of the prison guards. Less of a taskmaster than a confidante who moves more freely through the social circles of the prison, she gasps and recounts dramatic events with perfect comic timing, and perks up scenes which sometimes feel a little slow.

Though this play is primarily about the bad behavior women all too often engage in--gossip, social climbing, loving useless men, mompetition, etc., it's certainly refreshing to have the glitz and glamor stripped away to reveal just the women themselves. This play is a raw two hours featuring women who look like real women--because that's enough. The clothes are unflattering, and the faces are bare. This helps the audience be even more empathetic with what the characters go through. Yes, hopefully none of the viewers will wind up in prison, but because the actors feel like real people, we can easily put ourselves in their shoes.

The original version of The Women, doesn't celebrate women, but THESE RUTHLESS BITCHES does, which is just a taste of the kind of sideways humor that works so well in this production. This show also has probably the best closing bow one is likely to see. The notion of a page to stage season may initially seem a bit dull and safe, but so far Epic Theatre has done exactly what they need to do to shatter that notion. Taking the classics and completely upending them is exactly the kick in the teeth the Rhode Island theatre community needs, and it's exciting to see what they come up with next.

THESE RUTHLESS BITCHES runs through September 19th.

General Admission $15, Students/Seniors $12

For tickets, go to http://www.artists-exchange.org/epictheatrecompany.html

Pictured (L toR) Top Row: Jill D. Jones, Mary Paolino, Christine Pavao. Bottom Row: MJ Daly, Emily Lewis, Lauren Ustaszewski.

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