She’s Not Him and He’s Not Her
Empress of Blandings
Venue 14
Holy Trinity Anglican Church
10037 84 Ave., Edmonton
4 Stars
Who would have thought a dour 18th century Scottish playwright could scribble such a light-hearted, comedic bedroom romp.
And yet, Andrew Erskine’s snappy She’s Not Him and He’s Not Her uses the drag balls popular at the time, and Molly-Houses (early gay bars) as a backdrop for this tight, silky smooth, romantic farce.
The hanky-panky starts when the engaged Sophia (Lauren Hughes) tests Frankly, her rather wealthy fiance’s fidelity. She asks a close confidant, Harriet (Priya Narine) to cross-dress as a man and pretend to be another suitor.
But the ploy backfires when the astute Frankly learns of the deception. He persuades his friend Belmont (Rory Turner) to suit up as a lover Frankly deserted years ago.
In a parallel romance of the lower class, Brazen (Andres Moreno), Frankly’s man servant, and Lucy (Ceris Backstrom) deliver a more straightforward, lip-locking affair.
The dialogue is crisp, the actors hit the right notes and director Celia Taylor kept everyone on track.
Morinville’s Rory Turner wasn’t the lead male actor. However, he completely stole the spotlight from the moment he swished on stage applying lipstick and padding his breasts to the moment his wig is ripped off.
Running only 45 minutes, She’s Not Him and He’s Not Her is full of amusing and titillating moments guaranteed to brighten a rainy day.
