Burien Actors Theatre (BAT) kicks off their seventh season of Theatre in the Parks with “The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs,” a lively, family-friendly comedy from Spain’s Golden Age of Theatre.
SeaTac residents popped open camp chairs, spread blankets, and opened cool drinks in the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden Friday night (July 24) to enjoy the opening performance of BAT’s latest outdoor production.
Written in the 16th century by the female playwright Ana Caro Mallen De Soto, “The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs” is a tale as old as time – a young woman besotted by the promises of an older man gives her love and body only to be deceived and left broken hearted.
While most women of the time had no choice but to accept their fate, the heroine of De Soto’s play decides to take justice into her own hands.
Leonor (Shona Carter) disguises herself as the dashing Leonardo and follows her former lover, the pompous Don Juan (John Dugaw), to Olympia, WA (location adapted from the original by director Rachel Rene).
Leonor’s quest for revenge becomes more complex as webs are woven around her own aims and those of would-be lovers attempting to win the affection of those whose hearts they are set on.
Hilarity ensues as Leonor confronts Don Juan as Leonardo and Don Juan attempts to win the affections of Countess Estela (Natasha Halfin), who wants nothing to do with him.
Will Don Juan see the error of his ways? Will Leonor get her revenge? Can a wronged woman make things right again?
The fun the cast had while performing this play was positively infectious. Any comedy requires high energy and good pacing to land, and every actor did their part to keep the plot moving forward with humor and momentum.
Two players stood out in particular. Mandela Gardner, who plays the vibrant Fernando, brother to Leonor, was hilariously expressive without being over the top and Riko Kishitani, who plays Leonor’s faithful, if a bit mischievous, servant Ribete, was the spark that kept the play’s flame alive, using physical comedy and fourth wall breaks to draw the audience inside the world of the play.
Though “The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs” is a comedy, complete with all the tropes and tomfoolery of the genre, the subject matter is very sobering.
In a time when women could not own property, choose her future, or have agency over her own bodily autonomy, Ana Caro Mallen De Soto gives women a voice. Leonor is the face of every enraged woman seeking justice in a world built to crush her, a visual display of the possibility of snatching back one’s own power with an iron will and flashing sword.
Performance Schedule
“The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs” runs for five more performances in parks and gardens across South King County:
- Sunday, July 26 at 5 p.m., Hilltop Park, 2600 S. 128th Street, Burien, WA 98168
- Sunday, Aug 2 at 5 p.m., Burien Town Square Park– 480 SW 152nd Street, Burien 98166
- Friday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m., Des Moines Beach Park, 22030 Cliff Ave S., Des Moines, WA 98198
- Sunday, Aug. 9 at 5 p.m., Shark Garden, 614 SW 120th Street, Burien, WA 98146
- Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. at Liberty Park, 1101 Bronson Way N., Renton, WA 98057
The show is family-friendly and admission is FREE.
Bring a blanket or chair and some snacks to enjoy. It is advised to come early to find good seating options.
Visit the Burien Actors Theatre website for more information on the cast, upcoming shows, and BAT’s ongoing work.
