|
Wet, or Isabella the Pirate Queen Enters the Horse Latitudes by Moxie Theatre  The human race appears to be washed up in this latest
post-apocalyptic tale by playwright Liz Duffy. Only three people on a naval
sailboat are alive after a disastrous storm, and they are now adrift with no
land in sight and an increasing number of mutations in the sea and air. Could
it get any worse? What about being boarded out of nowhere by three gorgeous
female pirates (and one not-so-gorgeous, not quite female “countess”)?
Moxie Theatre kicked off their company with Duffy’s spectacular post-apocalyptic comedy-drama Dog Act. This latest show is full of kick-ass women pirates, hunky sailors waxing poetic, and a countess with something extra. Jo Anne Glover leads the way as “Neptune’s bastard daughter,” the legendary Pirate Queen Isabella who is outwardly ruthless with a hopeless romantic hidden deep inside, and who has an optimistic vision for rebuilding the human race. A jaded dreamer who doesn’t like her words to be rhymed by poetic sailors. The Pirate Queen is surrounded by women who would die for her and that dream, but who probably won’t be much help in repopulating the earth. Jennifer Eve Thorn is Sally, the big-eyed, electricity-conducting human compass whose shocking personality is dangerous to the touch, and any touch gives her a surge of excitement. Liv Killgren is Jen, the arrgh-like, ornery tough guy gal who loves Sally. Tagging along is Don Loper as an amusing drag queen Countess with a taste for young men. Their booty upon taking the ship? A sullen captain (Tom Deak) torn between duty and desire, his strapping “boy” (Chris Walsh) full of kindness, loyalty, and innocence, and Horatio (Laurence Brown) as the poetic sailor drawn to Queen Isabella’s flame just as he had given up flights of fancy. Their destination upon taking the ship? As the title suggests, the ship is in the Horse Latitudes, and drifting nowhere slowly. Their journey is an internal one. We may be seeing too much of that journey through “strange and lamentable” monologues by storytelling shipmates, and not enough through well-timed revelations by intriguing characters in the course of a compelling plot. But with the razzle dazzle of the show’s visuals like the set, lighting, performances, and swashbuckling, Wet will still provide a fun night out at the theatre.Performed through December 10, 2006.
~ Cast ~
Isabella: Jo Anne Glover Jenny: Liv Kellgren Sally: Jennifer Eve Thorn Viscountess Marlene: Don Loper Captain Joppa: Tom Deak Horatio: Laurence Brown Jack: Chris Walsh Director: Delicia Turner Sonnenberg Scenic Design: Jerry Sonnenberg Costume Design: Fred Kinney Lighting Design: Eric Lotze Sound Design: Rachel Le Vine Fight Choreographer: Tim Griffin |