'Tis Pity She's a Whore
About the show
A perverse Jacobean romantic tragedy about love, lust, incest and hypocrisy. More…
What if Romeo and Juliet were brother and sister? Siblings Annabella and Giovanni fall into an incestuous affair with a brutal velocity that sets Renaissance Parma aflame with its passionate force. Defiant in their desires to the bloody end, these lovers take “star-crossed” into a whole new galaxy. This crown jewel of Jacobean drama has scandalized and enthralled audiences for four centuries with its singular journey through the fires of desire.
"It's a fascinating (and disturbing) dramatic artifact that is given fleshy life in this well-designed and superbly acted production...Through thick layers of sensationalism, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' emerges as a stinging condemnation of the patriarchy...The fact that Ford's play still has the power to rile our emotions four centuries later is truly a testament to its lasting power." Full Review
"This production provides ample opportunities for actors both veteran and fresh to sink their teeth into Ford’s lively verse and the amusing contortions of the play’s dark, knotty plot...There’s much more intrigue, betrayal and violence (eye-gouging, heart-skewering) before the play rattles to its appallingly gory conclusion, but I would not want to spoil anyone’s fun by divulging the details." Full Review
"The remarkable thing about the Red Bull Theater’s revival of 'Tis Pity She’s a Whore' is its hushed intensity...Director Jesse Berger’s fine revival gets a jolt whenever Kelley Curran appears to vibrate with venom as the revengeful Hippolita," Full Review
"Red Bull Theater is presenting John Ford’s bloody revenge drama in a solid production...The complicated plot of competing revenge plots runs like a Swiss clock under Jesse Berger's brisk, confident direction...All in all, it was an evening well-spent." Full Review
"The gore is minimal. Unfortunately, so, too, is the show’s impact...The staging and acting are too timid, as if we were watching a well-meaning college production. But half-measures and good intentions hardly suit a play as outlandish as this one." Full Review
"The language is heightened, passionate, yet still easy to follow, in spite of the jam-packed plot...Director Jesse Berger creates some beautiful stage pictures but his production moves at a meandering pace...Overall, the play is still worth seeing, if only for the strength of the text. However, that is likelier to be appreciated on the page than in this particular production." Full Review
See it if you can stomach Jacobean tragedy, which is not for wimps. Everybody loses (which is not unlike IRL). Well-staged and well-acted. Unsettling.
Don't see it if you're put off by the premise (sibling incest..if only Jake and Maggie had been cast). Crazy fun to see the fall-out of the forbidden act.
Also I'm catching up on old reviews. I had a great time traveling in a time... Read more Read less
See it if You love classic theater and want to see a good staging of a rarely seen work.
Don't see it if You don't like classical theater or language whatsoever.
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