Bloodbath: A Must-see Play by Warren Wilson Professor
Harley Woods | October 21, 2021
Special to The Echo | Eliza Alden
Actors Lauren Otis (left) and Matilyn Hull (right), who play the main character and love interest, looking into each other’s eyes.
The slasher spoof “Bloodbath: Victoria’s Secret,” written and directed by Jamie Ridenhour, Ph.D., premiered at The Magnetic Theatre on Friday, October 15.
The play runs for about 90 minutes and is split into three acts with an intermission between each. The first act establishes the universe the play functions within and introduces all the characters, while the second and third act host the bulk of the action.
From start to end, the play is amusing and well-worth the watch. The opening two scenes set the tone for the whole play in a very amusing way. Watching Victoria and the bizarre pizza man interact and talk about the movie posters introduces the viewer to Victoria’s world.
The viewer can instantly relate to the main character and her frustration with each strange occurrence she faces before her date, Megan, arrives. Although the first act feels slightly drawn out, much of the momentum is carried by a suspicious agent named Hannah.
Although Victoria is the main character, the most compelling performances come from Hannah and Victoria's love interest, Megan. Steadily growing more intoxicated, Hannah asks invasive questions and plays a very convincing overly excitable agent. Megan, on the other hand, portrays a loyal lover which the viewer is bound to adore.
Throughout the play there are discussions of what it means to be a “final girl” and the varying dynamics of what it means to be in a lesbian relationship. Everyone seems to have a different theory. The characters in the play talk about what Victoria’s slasher films mean to them and how it impacted their lives.
The props are all used very intentionally and acknowledged steadily at various points in the play, though the coffee table seems uncomfortably close to the couch. Between the acts, certain props are moved and objects cleaned, though it isn’t quite established in-scene who moved them or why.
During act two, there is a brief power-outage in Victoria’s apartment, dramatized by flashes of lightning and synchronized movement to emphasize the intensity and conflict. While there is no warning about the lighting before the play begins, viewers should know that the sequence may be unsettling or triggering for those who are light-sensitive.
Ridenhour leaves no stone left unturned with his precise writing; every detail counts in the most subtle, as well as the most extreme, ways. Every question is answered by the end of play; the resolution leaves a satisfied and lasting impression on the viewer with no loose ends to grasp at.
Also involved in the play’s making is senior and Assistant Stage Manager Clairissa Hitcho, who spent their whole weekend making fake blood for the production. Additionally, Hitcho worked the lighting for the set and did a wonderful job.
At the end of the performance, the cast and artistic director of Magnetic Theatre, Katie Jones, presented Ridenhour with a poster of his play signed by the complete cast and crew as a thank-you gift.
The play will close on October 30. Tickets are $25 though students can buy tickets for $10 using a discount code at checkout.