Feminine Tragedies on Grecian Themes or, The Scorpio Play
Dog Story Theatre, Grand Rapids
July 10-13, show times at 5 and 8 p.m.
$8-$12
dogstorytheater.com
Never cross a scorned woman. But what happens when said scorned woman crosses herself? That's the basis of Christopher vanDer Ark's Feminine Tragedies on Grecian Themes or, The Scorpio Play.
The scorned woman in this instance is Lynette Price, played by Lizzy Sulkowski. Price discovers her husband's infidelities and vows to destroy him, as well as her most-hated in-laws. After killing several people during the play, she finds herself in her own predicament of survival.
The Scorpio Playis part of a 12-play series that vanDer Ark is working on. In these productions, each of the actresses plays a different sign of the zodiac. In November, the first play, Dress Your Wives in Floor Length Denim or, the Aries Play, was produced.
As for Feminine Tragedies on Grecian Themes or, The Scorpio Play, audience can expect a not-so-typical theater experience. Leaning on the creepy side of things, The Scorpio Play is categorized as a thriller, centering on Price, who may not be “all there” mentally.
“Strong female roles are few and far between,” Sulkowski said about her character. “There’s just not a lot of them, and there are seven women and three men in this show. It’s been a long time coming for pieces like this.”
Although The Scorpio Play has darker themes, it explores human cruelty and human sadness in light and comedic ways.
“Writing this one was very tricky," vanDer Ark said. "The play takes place in the perspective of a very unreliable character. Her version [of what is going on] might not be 100 percent accurate.” “
As Sulkowski's portrayal of our anti-heroine, vanDer Ark promises audiences an enchanting performance.
“What Lizzy does so beautifully is she garners the audience’s trust even though they know they can’t trust her,” vanDer Ark said. “You still side with her until the very end. When you find the depth of the bad decisions she’s made, you’re still rooting for her.”
