The Rape of the Sabine Women, By Grace B. Matthias

See it if you want to see a sometimes laudatory, often cringe-worthy, attempt at a "rape satire" w/some nice performances & interesting use of space.

Don't see it if you'll be troubled by an oft insensitive take on rape culture, played mostly for laughs, & characters written too broadly to be sympathetic.

See it if you're into social satire and are willing to put up with some muddled writing to see these issues dealt with by a game cast

Don't see it if you prefer pieces that have a very clear message and control of their themes

See it if Good acting from the supporting cast

Don't see it if Lead actress is one-dimensional, 2 hrs 15 min (way too long/slow), disjointed unnatural dialogue in most scenes. Feels like a first draft.

See it if you are interested in seeing a fine performance by Susannah Perkins and a great set design by Arnulfo Maldonado.

Don't see it if the topic of rape makes you uncomfortable.

Also This is an overlong play. It seems like a first draft and the playwright never went back to do any work on it. The ending is unsatisfying and abrupt. The performances run the gamut from very good to awful. The direction is quite good, however.... Read more Read less

See it if You're curious about subject.

Don't see it if You want a coherent story.

See it if You would like to see a mediocre play that could be performed in an hour that is stretched to almost two hours without an intermission.

Don't see it if If you already know why Charles Dickens books are sooooo long.

See it if you want to see how the subject of R-A-P-E , a serious topic, tries to come off as a black comedy.

Don't see it if the topic offends you.

Also The play is all over the place. It doesn't know whether to be serious or satirical. Sadly, it's a jumble of stereotypes and ideas.... Read more Read less

See it if you are into black comedy/farce about how one teen raped compares the results to the Rape of the Sabine where Romans married their victims.

Don't see it if you don't think a serious subject like rape should be told as a comedic, farce and make it look like the victim is the villain..

See it if you're interested in acquaintance sexual assault among teens & know little about it;you want to support the development of new plays.

Don't see it if you don't like characters who are stereotypes; you know how a grand jury works--the playwright doesn't;you prefer fully staged plays.

Also I found so much about this play confusing. Why is the memorial service held at the Chamber of Commerce; why is the algebra teacher teaching art history; why is the best friend of the main character--who is supposed to be a bit of a social outcast--a cheerleader; why would that cheerleader be watching TV on a Saturday night after a big game? The running joke about the news always being true gets stale fast.

There is the kernel of a good idea here but the script does little to develop it. The saving grace is an excellent performance by the lead.... Read more Read less

See it if a sketchy, would-be satire about a serious topic.

Don't see it if your tolerance is low for a play that requires considerable indulgence from you.

Also Adults are buffoons/incompetent. Grace’s lawyer's a sleaze. Her guidance counselor's concerns are for the perpetrator. Her cheerleader friend is an airhead. Bobby & Jeff are h.s. football cliches, though Jeff has a bit more dimension; their homo-eroticism is suggested (as a reason pushing Jeff to rape), but not explored. It’s not easy to make a play about rape funny, & indeed, this one doesn't; nor is it as affecting as it might have been because it is so muddled. Much of it comes off as a series of condescending comedy sketches that ridicule easy targets (TV news anchors, vain cheerleader, etc). Grace is such a dour character that it’s hard to believe that with useless parents & an inane school counselor, she musters the courage & resources to sue her rapist. Her neediness is real, but her interest in the Sabine women & in firefighting come off as strained symbols. The scene before the rape, the most direct & least comic in the play, is the best & most affecting.... Read more Read less

See it if Excellent writing about 1/3 of the time. Susannah Perkins as Grace is terrific

Don't see it if It is 100 minutes long and needed editing down to 70

See it if you want to see a very unconventional, quirky approach to a very serious, relevant topic - rape - with very good acting, especially Perkins.

Don't see it if you're offended by humor intertwined with a very serious subject or by the brief scene with nudity or particularly sensitive to rape topic.

Also My friend and I had a long discussion immediately after the conclusion of the play since the performance was definitely thought-provoking. I needed a night, however, to sleep on this before writing the actual review. (I was torn between a "so-so" review and a "good" review.)

I had a mixed reaction to the infusion of nervous humor, which was sometimes slap-stick in nature as in the case of the school guidance counselor. However, this does highlight the fact that some people just don't want to talk about rape or blame the victim or fail to treat it with the gravity that the situation demands.

The connection with Rome and the Sabine women got somewhat muddled into the plot as the lead character (Grace), played excellently by Susannah Perkins, seemed to overly identify with the story. Some dialogues seemed more distracting than contributing to the plot. Overall, I didn't connect emotionally with any of the characters and this was the final determinant in the overall so-so rating.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to support new play development or you don't mind characters portrayed as caricatures who have zero emotional appeal

Don't see it if You are offended by badly developed characters, indulgent plot devices that don't satisfy or a sympathetic stance on a rapist.

See it if You want an unusual take on this subject.

Don't see it if You want a cliched treatment

See it if you want to see a well acted and very topical play. The play will make you think, it took me a while to figure out how I felt about it.

Don't see it if the portrayal of a male rapist as a greater victim of rape culture than the woman he rapes will turn your stomach

Also There is some good stuff here, the metaphor of the world burning beneath the surface for thousands of years and Grace is going to become a fireman to put that fire out works well and is smart. Susannah Perkins delivers a phenomenal performance in the lead role, she is captivating. But some great performances and occasionally smart insights couldn't change the queasiness I felt leaving the theatre.... Read more Read less