Tis Pity She's a Whore

Postcard Review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – Tis Pity She’s a Whore

Playwright – John Ford (with some script changes unattributed)

Production Company/Theatre space – (non-Equity, paid performers.) Fallon Smyl & The Shakespeare Company / Doherty Hall on Stampede Campus. 

Length – Multiple Acts (2 hours, no intermission)

Genre/s – Tragedy

Premise – An incestuous relationship ends badly when a brother cajoles his pregnant sister to marry another man to conceal their relationship.

Why this play? Why now? – From director notes, “the chance to play with all of these things, something I had not done in years excited me as a director… Because in a world of continual judgement be it online, in person, a play that points out hypocrisy is a breath of fresh air”.

Curiosities – Under the “sex and violence” - when the violence was graphic, why was the sex part so chaste? When will the need for audience warnings in programs be transferred as an option to be read pont of sale? In the program, they only serve as spoilers.

Notable Moment – The bloody ending.

Notable writing – One of the great things about historical plays in the public domain is that they can be expertly edited for clarity and pace without impunity – this unfortunately was not.

Notable performances – The cast ranged in skills. They did their best with the multiple characters, distinguishing them with hats, bow, cape, scarf, a clown nose, stethoscope, rosary, accents, mumbling, volume levels, overacting, underacting, curious accents, and sometimes talking to themselves on stage holding hats aloft to invisible bodies.

Notable design/Production – Multiple settings were left to our imagination against a pipe and drape set up consisting of shower curtains, a drape, a bed spread, and possibly a sari. There was a bed which provided another acting level at the end. There were no liquids in the glasses, the only liquid was in the form of blood, which was spat up and dripped dramatically on the characters and final prop. I’ve never heard of the term “Blood Artist” before, but they did add to the theatricality.  

Notable direction – Directed as a Cowboy Western, melodrama, with song, and a touch of clown. The director says, “This is also a unique experience with shared light, creating a more intimate experience between the audience and actors, while also being more of a relaxed environment.” Though why one would need to be relaxed rather than excited is baffling. The house lights, left on, revealed an audience valiantly trying to stay engaged, though succumbing to fidgeting, yawning, and program reading. The opposite of the “breath of fresh air”. Tis a pity.

 One reason to see this show – It’s an endurance test.