Four Badass Women Lose Their Heads in Lauren Gunderson’s ‘The Revolutionists,’ Next Up at ICT

Sometimes a revolution needs a woman’s touch.

Playwright Lauren Gunderson gives France’s Reign of Terror a riotous, sharp-tongued makeover with The Revolutionists, next up at International City Theatre. ICT favorite Jamie Torcellini (Deathtrap, Life Could Be a Dream, The Andrews Brothers, The Legend of Georgia McBride) directs the three-week run June 12 through June 28 at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. Two low-priced preview performances take place June 10 and June 11.

Four badass women lose their heads — both figuratively and literally — in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges (Amie Farrell), assassin Charlotte Corday (Sarah Pierce), former queen and ribbon enthusiast Marie Antoinette (Lyndsi LaRose), and Haitian revolutionary Marianne Angelle (Nondumiso Tembe) navigate the chaos of 1793 Paris while grappling with violence, legacy, art, activism and the challenge of changing the world.

“I was in Paris with my mom and sister, and we went to the Pantheon to visit Voltaire and Marie Curie,” Gunderson explained in an interview. “While there, I happened to read a footnote about a feminist playwright who was guillotined during the French Revolution that the people of Paris were considering re-interring there. I did a cartoon-style double take and said, ‘Wait. A feminist playwright? During the French Revolution? Guillotines?!’

“After that, it was a gradual exploration of that time and the striking similarities to our time in America: ridiculous war, drowning national debt, vast divide between rich and poor, institutional racism, and the quest for women’s equality. But the play has really turned into a grander story about stories. Why we need to make art, what art does in times of crisis, and how stories connect eras and philosophies across time.”

In real life, Olympe de Gouges was a French playwright and political activist best known for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen and other writings advocating for women’s rights and abolitionism. Her increasingly outspoken political writings led to her arrest and eventual execution by guillotine.

Charlotte Corday, believing the Revolution had become too radical, assassinated Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat before facing the guillotine herself just days later. Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, became a scapegoat for the nation’s financial troubles and was ultimately executed in Paris’s Place de la Révolution.

Marianne Angelle, a character created by Gunderson, represents a composite of free Black women revolutionaries from Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, who fought against French colonial rule and slavery.

“This play is exactly what we need right now,” said ICT Artistic Director caryn desai. “It’s a bold, irreverent — and very funny — exploration of the power of women to shape history. These characters show us that even in the face of overwhelming adversity, we can still make our voices heard, fight for change and, yes, have a little fun along the way.”

The creative team includes set designer Mio Okada-Nuñez, lighting designer Donna Ruzika, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Hunter Moody and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA. The stage manager is Donna R. Parsons.

The Revolutionists runs June 12 through June 28 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Preview performances take place June 10 and June 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $56 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances, except opening night, and $59 for opening night on June 12 and Sunday matinees. Preview tickets are $44.

International City Theatre is located in the Beverly O’Neill Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 E. Seaside Way in Long Beach.

For information or tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or visit InternationalCityTheatre.org.