The L word at Amphibian Stage goes all the way back to 1901 New England. In Bull in a China Shop, Bryna Turner’s play tells the herstory of Mary Woolley and her lover, writer Jeannette Marks. And while their lesbian love is front and center, this is hardly just a queer play. Woolley would be named the first woman president of Mount Holyoke College and Turner as well as director Kels Ervi delivered a marvelous play about empowerment, rights and ambition.
The story spans some 40 years when Woolley arrives at Holyoke and begins a shift that changes not only the course of the school, but also the relationship between the two intellects played by Emily Scott Banks as Mary and Dani Nelson as Marks.
Banks had a presence that immediately radiated Mary’s confidence. She had such a gravity to her performance crafted with complex layers that humanized Mary wholly. Nelson was a formidable match who countered with an explosive portrayal of Jeannette that was both defiant and tender. The two also brought a distinguished passion to Mary and Jeannette’s relationship. A dynamic duo indeed.
Their chemistry expanded to its fellow castmates. Laurel Lynn Collins’ performances Dean Welsh was delicately steadfast as Woolley’s professional confidant who straddled the line of both critical and a fan of Woolley’s work. Nicole Renee Johnson brought a fiery effusiveness to the suffragette activist Felicity. As Jeanette’s student Pearl who falls for her teacher, Mia M. Azuaje was a marvel at juggling the character’s naivete and sexual awakening. Her declaration of love was both a sad and humorous moment that she navigated sublimely with desperate energy.
Albeit a period piece, Turner’s play was decidedly modern. Pop punk music by female-identifying artists punctuated the scenes but also echoed the show’s historic feminism to today’s. The play burst from its gate with Bikini Girl’s “Rebel Girl” with all the actors moshing if you will on stage that certainly prefaced the show with an unexpected vigor that reverberated until the end. Remaining song clips mostly played during scene changes and at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, the volume would often be jarring. But the songs added a subtle dialogue to the show with selections by Tegan and Sary, Tracy Chapman, Joan Jett and others.
Leah Mazur’s raised platform set was a curious touch. This allowed the play to perform on two levels with most of the action on the higher plane that was decked out in set furniture and a bookcase backing. The effect gave a grandness to the show but I was unsure of any intentional meaning behind it. That being said, depending on your seat, it can be easy to miss some of the dramatic action, but I don’t fault it either as it lifted these historic women in a metaphorical sense.
The actors mostly held to one costume which was quite all right because Murell Horton’s work was exquisite. The fabrics reflected a certain propriety for women at that time, but Horton’s lines and cuts were executed to perfection on each actor. They helped define each character but also flattered the actors with sophistication.
Ervi’s direction felt effortless as the cast delivered each scene with comfort. They allowed Bull in a China Shop to breathe at its own pace which resulted in a production that beatuifully expressed Turner’s complicated queer romance and enlightening real life story into a worthwhile experience.
Bull is a co-production by Amphibian Stage and Second Thought Theatre. The play runs through March 1 and will play at Second Thought in April.
–Rich Lopez
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