BWW Reviews: GIRL VERSUS CORINTH Experiences Identity Crisis at Capital Fringe

Every now and again, one might stumble upon a production that looks and feels more like a full-scale production than a barebones Fringe show in Washington, DC's annual Capital Fringe. Such is indeed the case with Monumental Theatre Company's Girl Versus Corinth, playing the Ward Recital Hall at the Catholic University of America in Northeast, Washington, DC.

Unfortunately, in this case, the technical ambition - namely a desire to incorporate complex video design elements (Mark Costello) - proved to be a little too much for the new emerging theatre group to take on. Multiple sound (design by Doug Gillette, engineering by Jonathan Miot) and projection challenges plagued the performance I witnessed, likely due to equipment limitations and possibly a lack of a tech time. It would probably be easier to overlook this series of unfortunates if I could see any merit in the material that lies behind the (intended) flashy rock musical-like technical elements. Unfortunately, overall, there's little merit in the writing (Danny Baird wrote the book, musical and lyrics). Put simply, one saving grace is a group of performers that are clearing giving their all to make it all work in the most challenging of circumstances.

Baird and Director/Collaborator Catie Davis, I think, mean well. Medea (a stellar Sarah Anne Sillers) is a modern day independent woman who wants to explain herself, what she did, why she did it, and the challenges she faced in ancient Corinth. She does so by putting on a play (within a play, of course), that's infused with a variety of rock music numbers. She brings along other woman who advocated for changes in women's rights - the movers and shakers in two waves of feminism - Mary Wallstonecraft (Catherine Purcell) and Betty Friedan (Sherry Berg). The intent is for the ever confident Medea to interview them, draw connections between their experiences (and her own) and advocate for continued work in achieving equality (Rebecca Walker, effectively played by Tatiana Wechsler, represents the current wave). Due to budgetary constraints, Medea cannot hire a male actor to portray Zeus and Jason, among other figures in her life, so she enlists the help of a member of the backstage crew (Stephen, played by Stephen Russell Murray) to fill the roles The performance challenges he encounters are only funny the first one or two times, and not because of the acting. Murray gives it a go, to be sure.

So, what we're left with is a production that starts out as an edgy rock musical (aided by Katy Atwell's effective lighting design) and then morphs into a retelling of Medea's challenging life. From there, it becomes a production about the challenges of putting on a show, and then very simplistically introduces us to influential players in the feminist movement and comments on that history in the context of today. Then, to top it off, the poor actresses have to deliver awkwardly written, preachy lines to convey the idea that there's still work to be done in achieving the goals set forth by our predecessors so as to instill a sense of desire among the modern female population to get in on the action and contradict opposing influential voices in popular culture. Wow, right?

To put it succinctly, Girl Versus Corinth is a musical with an identity crisis that seeks to cover so much ground that it ends up achieving pretty much nothing at all. In this case, it may be a problem with one man trying to do it all. No one writer can be an expert on Greek mythology, feminist theory, an expert lyricist, a dramaturg, and a solid composer; I don't care who you are.

Mr. Baird is not, however, lacking in all areas. His primary talent, at least as demonstrated here, seems to be in the area of composition, but even then it's hard for me to give his music the credit it might deserve under better circumstances. While there is some catchy music to be heard and is mostly effectively sung by the hardworking cast (especially Sillers and Wechsler), it's hard to fully appreciate it because of distortion resulting from the sound levels. This makes it challenging to understand the lyrics, as well.

All in all, ambition is a wonderful thing, but this show is yet one more example of how no one man can do it all. Likewise, before one tries to figure out how to make a production appeal to modern audiences with fancy technical elements, one might first concentrate on perfecting - or at least bettering - the material behind it before putting it in front of a paying audience.

Let's chalk this one up to a work in progress.

Running Time: 75 minutes with no intermission.

Girl Versus Corinth plays for eight more performances through July 23. For ticket, schedule, and venue information, consult the Capital Fringe website.

Show Graphic: Courtesy of Capital Fringe website.

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