When you enter Very Little Theatre’s main stage auditorium to attend the current production of The Revolutionists, the first thing that catches your eye is a lovely, peaceful two-story set about as French as French can get. With time, however, you’ll notice that the stage is flexible, and isn’t that a guillotine on the upper level? What are we getting into here?
Surprisingly, The Revolutionists is a nifty comedy about the French Revolution by American playwright Lauren Gunderson. Now playing in a lavish production smartly directed by Maggie Hadley, the show earned plenty of laughs on opening night. Gunderson is frequently cited as America’s most produced playwright and her works are often inspired by historical events that clearly illuminate today’s news.
According to Hadley’s program note, “The parallels between the French Revolution (1789-1799) and contemporary America abound: severe economic inequality, political polarization, anti-elite sentiment…” and the list goes on.
Women were involved in many aspects of the revolution as spies, informers, writers of incendiary pamphlets and even assassins. Remember Charlotte Corday, who killed the political leader Jean-Paul Marat with a large knife while he lay in his bath? She’s a character in this play. How could she not be?
We meet Charlotte when she bangs on the door and barges into the Paris home of Olympe de Gouges, a playwright who later writes a Declaration of the Rights of Women. Charlotte wants Olympe to write a splendid sentence for her, or in theatrical terms, a line that she can declare to the crowds just before she is guillotined.
Melanie Moser plays Charlotte as loud, forceful and brave enough to do whatever she deems necessary, in spite of the consequences. Jocelyn Kerr creates Olympe as high-strung, fearful of the unexpected crimes she could be accused of, and full of funny quirks and complaints.
Later, Marie Antoinette appears to show up at Olympe’s home in all her splendor, including her towering wig decked out with strings of pearls, even though in reality she is locked up half-starved in a miserable prison awaiting her own death by guillotine. She, too, could benefit from an immortal final statement. Did Olympe somehow will Marie’s spirit to invade her house? Who knows?
Gunderson has written Marie as the usual bimbo, but Tracy Brous manages to infuse the role with moments of shrewdness and sincere anxiety about her remaining children.
The fourth character, the only one in the play who is fictional, is a young activist from Haiti. She has come to France to learn how to free the Haitian slaves and form their own republic, ironically separating it from France. This sweet, serious young woman is named Marianne, which happens to be the name of the symbol of the French Republic. Anesu Chipanera, a University of Oregon freshman, plays this invented character as a very real, down-to-earth woman of solid character.
This is a large production featuring the designs of many talented volunteers. Especially notable are the set design by Julianne Bodner, sound design by Darian Soderquist, music design by Andrej Radmilovic, costumes by Gail Rapp and Paula Tendick, with period costumes on loan from Rhonda Turnquist, lighting and wig designs by J. Sterling, properties by Jamie Brokopp and masks by David Mort.
The Revolutionistsis playing at Very Little Theatre through April 12, with Sunday matinees April 5 and April 12; times and tickets through the VLT ticket office at 541-344-7751, or BoxOffice@TheVLT.com.