Heads will roll in Norfolk for ODU’s ‘The Revolutionists’
Four women will lose their heads in Norfolk this week.
Old Dominion University will stage “The Revolutionists,” a comedy set during the French Revolution that explores themes of violence, art, feminism and terrorism.
Written by Lauren Gunderson, currently the most widely produced playwright in America, the show blends sitcom dialogue with the dying and destruction of the political tumult of 1790s Paris.
“It’s a very, very meta piece,” said ODU assistant professor Kate Clemons, the show’s director. While most of the characters are based on historical figures, the circumstances of their meeting and interactions are fictional.
When the curtain opens, Olympe de Gouges, the last female playwright in Paris, is trying to complete what she suspects will be her final work before she — like so many others — faces the guillotine.
The plot develops throughout one night with a Christmas Carol-like progression. As de Gouges labors with quill and parchment, she receives three visitors.
Assassin Charlotte Corday explains that she’ll soon murder the French journalist and political figure Jean-Paul Marat. Corday knows she won’t get away with the crime and requests that de Gouges write her some catchy last words.
Marie Antoinette also appears to make a request: Doubting she’ll go down in history as an admirable figure, Antoinette wants de Gouges to write her history.
The third visitor, Marianne Angelle, is the only character not based on a historical person but is a composite with traits taken from leaders of the woman-directed 1791–1804 Haitian Revolution.
She asks de Gouges to produce pamphlets calling for the abolition of slavery and points out the hypocrisy of the French Revolution’s egalitarian ideals while France maintains oppressive policies and a colonial empire.
“I hope that folks will come out to support UDORep’s revolutionists in all their chaos and conviction,” Clemons said, referring to the student actors. “These young artists are the heartbeat of a new generation of storytellers who know that a good story can change the world.”
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-17 and Feb. 22-24. 2 p.m. Feb. 25. Where: Goode Theatre, 4601 Monarch Way, Norfolk Tickets: Start at $10 Details: odu.edu