UNCG Theatre Plots a 'Revenger's Tragedy' Nov. 14-23

Posted 10-31-08

GREENSBORO, NC – So you’ve seen Uma Thurman go Billistic in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill.”

You may even have seen Jeanne Moreau mete out dark justice in Truffaut’s “The Bride Wore Black.”

Now, in this fine tradition of brides widowed at the altar, comes UNCG Theatre’s “The Revenger’s Tragedy.”

Jim Wren, a theater professor at UNCG, and his writing partner, Joe Sturgeon, have re-imagined Thomas Middleton’s Jacobean tale as a bloody homage to female action thrillers. Set in a modern underworld, it runs Nov. 14-23 in Taylor Theatre.

“Tales of revenge have appeared for centuries, as we struggle to understand our own motivations and desire,” says Wren, who is directing the production. “This play taps into our darkest motivations and their deadly results.”

“Tragedy” opens with the wedding celebration of a mysterious woman, Vi. The party is brutally interrupted by the Duke and his men, ending in a blood bath that Vi survives. The story then jumps ahead four years as Vi exacts revenge on behalf of her love by destroying everything and everyone surrounding the Duke. She will stop at nothing.

“Homer said this of revenge: ‘It is sweeter far than flowing honey,’ yet we also know the lesson from Martin Luther King Jr. when he said, ‘The old law about an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind,’” Wren cautions. “Vi is looking for something sweeter than honey and leaving everyone blind in the process.”

The show promises to be filled with effects and musical underscoring.

Show times are: Nov. 14, 15, 21 and 22, 8 p.m.; Nov. 16 and 23, 2 p.m.; Nov. 18, 19 and 20, 7 p.m.

Tickets are $12 adults; $10 students, senior citizens, and children; $8 groups of 10 or more and UNCG Alumni Association members; and $7 current UNCG students. Call the University Box Office at (336) 334-4849, or visit http://boxoffice.uncg.edu.