BIG LOVE

Texas Premiere Production: August 30 – September 29, 2001 at The Off Center (Austin, TX)

“absurdist fun…[an] acid-trip vision of American history” – The Austin Chronicle

THE TEAM

by Charles L. Mee
  |  directed by Darron L West

featuring: Michael Mergen, Lana Lesley, Atticus Rowe, Sarah Richardson, Robert Newell, Shawn Sides, with Bill Johnson, and the inimitable Karen Kuykendall

design: Leslie Bonnell (costume), Brian H Scott (lighting), Darron L West (sound), Michael Raiford (scenic)

ABOUT THE PLAY

BIG LOVE by renowned playwright Charles L. Mee. BIG LOVE is a luxurious, riotous, wild romp in which fifty brides (all sisters!) vow to murder their fifty fiancés on their wedding night. Seeking to escape the old country, where marriage is contracted and love is unheard of, the sisters leave their betrothed standing at the altar as they hop a boat for better times and a little equality. They land, instead, in Italy. As the brides seek asylum at the villa of family man who is unwilling to take sides, the grooms catch up. With no one to protect them, the women decide to protect themselves by any means necessary. The play unfolds the story of the sisters’ betrothal, attempted flight, murderous pact and one immense wedding reception/massacre. Throughout, this acclaimed comic play is a visually luscious and physically explosive look at the tension between love and justice, beauty and violence, pleasure and pain.

Something Old: Big Love is a re-telling of the oldest extant Greek Play, THE SUPPLIANTS by Aeschylus.

Something New: This regional premiere by playwright Charles L. Mee updates the ancient tale to a modern Italian villa, exploring the contemporary battle lines of the war between the sexes: feminism, violence, male bonding and even skin care.

Something Borrowed: The Rude Mechs have drafted acclaimed Guest Artists to collaborate on the production: Director Darron L West (sic), the Obie Award winning sound designer and director from the renowned SITI Company of NYC and Brian Scott, the SITI Company’s Resident Lighting Designer.

Something Blue: Nudity.

ARTS WRITING / REVIEWS / CITATIONS

"At Long Last Love” – Robert Faires, The Austin Chronicle, August 2001

"Aeschylus Lives!" – Tim Staley, The Texas Observer, September 2001

“When Sides speaks of Lydia's love for her new husband, a love that comes from her whole being because that's what some things require, you may feel a rush, not just from recognizing the world she describes but from recognizing the "big love" she feels, and our desperate need for it in this oh-so complicated world. It is one of many rushes that this show provides, stirring, vivifying stimulation to every part of you, right down to the cells.” – The Austin Chronicle

"But before you decide that murder and rape aren't your idea of a good time at the theater, let me say that Big Love is probably the best play currently running in Austin for sheer entertainment value." – The Daily Texan

"Top 10 (That's Really 14) Wonders of the Stage in 2001" - The Austin Chronicle

Outstanding Comedy, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Supporting Actor (Newell) – 2001/2002 Critics Table Awards

Best Featured Actress (Kuykendall) – 2001/2002 B. Iden Payne Awards