Babes With Blades Performances

It has been quite some time since I have seen a stage performance as exciting, engaging, and as well performed as Babes With Blades rendering of Macbeth. I am not going to spend anytime speaking to the plot; Macbeth is pretty standard fare for high school English class. What made this performance was the cast. I suppose I'm supposed to mention that the cast is comprised entirely of ladies; that is, however, irrelevant. These are really good actors.

I was pulled into the story from the first scene and it remained this way throughout the performance. Macbeth offers intrigue, excitement, and tragedy, and this cast delivered that--in spades. I found myself leaning forward in my seat, totally engrossed in the action, hanging on each word between each actor in every scene. The acting is a wonderful mix of physical and emotional; the sword play was excellent (and not overdone); the actors created emotional believability with their characters and the interaction between them was very believable. I was upset when the play stopped for an intermission, and paced around impatiently for fifteen minutes until it resumed.

While I believe the entire cast was wonderful, I would like to point out three actors for their exceptional performances. Nika Ericson (Lady Macbeth) was the anchor of this performance. She was raw and emotional, and although the character of Lady Macbeth is hard to like, I connected with her. She commanded the stage whenever she was present and gave the performance a "soul" if you will. Kathrynne Wolf (Macbeth), Stephanie Repin (Banquo) and Amy E. Harmon (Macduff) also stand out brightly. The interactions between these three actors throughout the performance were very solid. The final scene in which Macbeth and Macduff fight to the death was a wonderful interaction (with great sword play) between Kathrynne and Amy.

In a sparse, gauzy forest of treachery and despair, stage combat ensemble Babes With Blades presents an all-female version of one of Shakespeare's bloodiest plays, turning the Bard's well-known habit of writing for all-male actors on its maidenhead, as it were.

This is an especially fascinating interpretation because Macbeth is already saturated with gender role reversals and questions about what constitutes masculinity and femininity. Particularly enthralling is the relationship between Macbeth (Kathrynne Wolf) and Lady Macbeth (Nika Ericson), whose passionate embraces slowly turn to shimmering fury as the consequences of their greed conspire to destroy them. Add broadsword battles and a body count that rivals "Kill Bill" I and II and you can at least somewhat piece together an image of the flinty, emotional brutality that this play possesses.

The stellar cast, who play a variety of roles (many listed simply as "murderer") and include two amazing young actresses from The Viola Project, beckon the stark and ravaging forces of paranoia that encompass several of the characters' ultimate demises. Kudos in particular to Rachel Stubbs as the drunk porter (among others), for her brief, yet pithy role as "gatekeeper to Hell."

With luminous, corrosive clarity, Babes With Blades proves that you don't need to be a man to shake up Shakespeare; you just need a big enough sword. And indeed, it's about time someone brought new meaning to the phrase "girl-on-girl action."

“..once again, Babes With Blades slices through (did I really just say that?) the stereotypes…Nika Ericson delivers a powerful Lady Macbeth that is wickedly conniving and delightfully evil…Kathryn Wolf is a gifted Macbeth. She displays swagger with restraint and inner turmoil with conviction…Amy E. Harmon creates a noble, driven and intense Macduff…when her rage reaches full boil it is extreme and exciting…Fight Choreographer Libby Beyreis and the dedicated cast create a thrilling world of exciting swordplay. From fighting individuals to two gangs going at it, the girl-on-girl steel-on-steel is exceptional..” - Venus Zarris, Steadstyle Chicago

They dare do all that may become a man... to expand powerful fighting roles for women in drama, and to undermine “the preconception that strength and power are inappropriate for women.”

...their collective paranoia under Macbeth’s gory, volatile regime is performed so convincingly that, by the time we see Macbeth (Kathrynne Wolf) at Dunsinane, we feel the suffocation of tyranny as palpably as Hitler’s last days in the bunker. Here, the young girl players from The Viola Project are cast to greatest effect, as children dressed in uniforms and thrown into battle because Macbeth’s thanes have all fled to his enemies.

... in the end, the showdown between Macbeth and Macduff (Amy E. Harmon) was so anticipated and so well executed, it received its own applause.

... a still forceful yet vulnerable and human Lady Macbeth (Nika Ericson)... the scenes between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth potently render, in agonizing increments, their relationship’s progressive disintegration. This production does not overplay this couple’s sexuality, yet illuminates their essential, integral partnership, before, during, and after their downfall...

Stephanie Repin, as Banquo, conveys the honor and judicious caution of a morally stable foil.

The action and pacing never flags.. One can be assured of a thrilling demonstration of women’s strength and ensemble unity in the delivery of this classic tale about the battles within and without the human soul.

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Babes With Blades is partially supported by grants from The Donnelley Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, The Saints, and The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.