Fit for a Queen

"Ms. Shamieh has taken promiscuous liberties with history to ponder the oppressiveness of sex and class in the days when the pyramids were new. She does so with a blitheness that often makes more earnest intentions hard to discern. 'Fit for a Queen' tries, with mixed success, to be many things at once...The acting is variable. And the show tends to go limp in what should be its climactic moments. But the wordy, vampy 90 minutes pass entertainingly enough." Full Review

"A transhistorical mash-up of sensibilities that dispenses with the facts in favor of a feminist farce, albeit one about serious subjects such as slavery, subjugation and sexism...While 'Fit for a Queen' is intellectually stimulating, it's rarely emotionally engaging. Woodard doesn't manage to make its disparate styles cohere...Still, these women command our attention, not just Hatshepsut and Senenmut but playwright Shamieh, too. She's slyly reinventing the past to comment on our present." Full Review

"The play, which mixes foolish farce with serious satire in equal degrees, has a generally fast pace that is sometimes bogged down with unequal acting. But when the going gets roughest, the ensemble of servants comes in to save the day, with ritualized dance that has a pronounced modern feel, as choreographed by Joya Powell...'Fit for a Queen' is an apt reminder that the road to power has never been easy for a woman." Full Review

"With a female writer, director, and predominantly female cast, 'Fit for a Queen' is refreshingly feminist...Though some scenes tend to lag, they are revived by the lively music and the brilliant ensemble of dancers in each effortless scene change. The music, the dancing, and the costumes all contribute to what is so compelling...If you’re looking to go to the theater to forget the troubles of the world, 'Fit for a Queen' is not that play–and that’s no accident. This play is bold in many ways." Full Review

"It is with this touch of cunning, charisma and sass that Ms. Irving lights up the stage whenever present, helping to propel the production...There is a historical context for all of the characters mentioned in 'Fit For A Queen,' but instead of staying completely historically accurate, this production is not afraid to change the details and add touches of charisma where possible...From a humanistic point of view, this version of the mighty female pharaoh transcends that." Full Review

"While the plot is based on ancient history and an Egyptian queen who really became pharaoh, its focus on women in power particularly resonates today...This play delivers a hilarious, beautifully written tale of what it takes to be a woman in power and how absolute power does inevitably corrupt absolutely. Tamilla Woodward’s taut direction and the stellar cast could probably carry any play, but here the writing is both poetic and powerful and the comedy is intelligent and sharp." Full Review