The Female of the Species
ACT, 2010
Written by Joanna Murray-Smith
Scenery by Robert Dahlstrom
Lighting by Geoff Korf
Costumes by Deb Trout
Sound by Brendan Patrick Hogan
The cast shines as a marvelously tight ensemble, each giving over focus for their respective moments to shine but still remaining completely together. Hunt is delicious as the delightfully acerbic Margot. She commands the stage from the get go and never once shows any signs of letting go of that command (even though she's stuck in one small area for most of the show). Morgan practically stopped the show with her side-splitting breakdown. Stetler's riotously honest portrayal of the bumbling husband was a joy. Friedman's damaged yet clinging to sanity Molly was nothing short of sublime. One moment touching and the next manic and all the while filled with laughs. And Hyland and Chamberlin, while not having a lot of stage time, manage to bring their own moments of hysterical chaos to the show with glee.
With great direction from Allison Narver and a stunningly well thought out and gorgeous set from Robert A. Dahlstrom, "The Female of the Species" is an excellent piece of theater and a great night out.
The very talented actors in ACT’s production are very good at wringing every laugh out of the script. In lesser hands, this play could be a chore to sit through, but Suzy Hunt, the Queen of Comedic Scene Stealers-Seattle Branch, and the rest of the seasoned cast under the firm direction of Allison Narver guarantees an entertaining night at the theater.
Happily, for Seattle theater goers, ACT hired a very capable director to smooth out the lumps in the source material, and even more importantly hired a very good cast of comedic actors to bring those lumps to life.