[rating=4] Chevalier Charles d’Eon, spy, soldier, and diplomat, would have been one of the most colorful figures of the late ancien régime even had she not lived as a man for most of her career. In fact, her exposure, from which Mark Brownell’s name draws its name, was involuntary and possibly not reflective of her self-identity. (This production uses feminine pronouns because she went by them at the end of her life, but it’s unknowable what d’Eon would have wanted in modern terminology.) To cram Chevalier d’Eon’s life into just ninety minutes requires a lot of inventive staging and an unflagging pace. Fortunately for Chicago audiences, Trap Door Theatre and ensemble director Nicole Wiesner are well-versed in just that sort presentation, with hilarious and often fascinating results.
The twelve-member cast are decked out in black gothic clothes suggestive of old world finery (costumes by Rachel Sypniewski), but are barefoot throughout. Not that it detracts from the show’s themes, but the rapid transformations, caricatures, and over-the-top humor require an attitude of childish playfulness. At the start, we see the court of Louis XV primping in a gilded cage (scenic design by J. Michael Griggs). The already male-presenting young d’Eon (David Lovejoy) has a vision of Jeanne d’Arc (Ty Easly) and sets off to serve a rather undeserving king (Dennis Bistro).
Lovejoy is the only actor whose character is afforded much dignity. The rest play diabolical, albeit inept courtiers scuttling around the French, Russian, and British throne rooms, as well as the British mob. Particularly amusing is Ann Sonneville in the role of the tyrannical Russian empress Elisabeth I, with whom d’Eon has her first diplomatic success. In that case, her gender fluidity worked to her advantage, but d’Eon’s desire to be taken seriously as a man goes beyond professional duty. Almanya Narula choreographed thrilling swordplay in the battle in which d’Eon becomes as chevalier and grows out of needing mentorship. Following the war, d’Eon goes on another diplomatic mission to the court of a hopscotch playing George III (Bill Gordon), where d’Eon charms aristocrats and the public alike while carrying out the Louis XV’s illegal espionage. But rivals in the French embassy (played by the conniving comic duo Emily Lotspeich and Nora Lise Ulrey) are jealous, leading to dangerous intrigues.
A big part of the play’s success comes from how easily playfulness turns into vicious cruelty. D’Eon proves able to navigate enemies and conflicting loyalties with panache but is still deeply hurt when an author she’d admired turns out to be a misogynist and the medal she earned in combat becomes a joke. Besides playing the goofy George III, Gordon also takes a turn as an unusually menacing Louis XVI and Michael Mejia-Beal appears as his henchman, a thoroughly nasty Beaumarchais. The play’s tone becomes darker as d’Eon loses the ability to control which gender people see and is subjected to mistreatment ranging from petty to life-threatening. It’s a lot of fun to learn about this historical figure and Wiesner and her rambunctious cast have a theatrical trick for every occasion. But Lovejoy brings a sense of earnestness and grit to d’Eon that makes the consequences of peoples’ casual lack of compassion much more serious.
Monsieur D’Eon is a Woman runs through June 30 at Trap Door Theater, 1655 W Cortland, Chicago. Parking is available in the neighborhood.
Running time is ninety minutes.
Performances are
Thursdays: 8:00 pm
Fridays: 8:00 pm
Saturdays: 8:00 pm
Tickets are $20-25, with 2-for-1 admission of Thursdays.
To order, call 773-384-0494 or visit Trap Door Theatre.
To see what others are saying, go to Theater in Chicago, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Monsieur D’eon is a Woman”.
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