In Theatrius‘s review of “The Lady Scribblers,” writer Lynne Stevens notes, “My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed “The Lady Scribblers” and I think any woman who has felt inhibited in her work will enjoy the comedy, too.”
The review praises the Neo-Restoration farce, co-produced by Custom Made Theatre Company and Those Women Productions, for its ability to seamlessly capture the conventions of the genre, and its fitting jabs “at the expense of over-bearing theater owners and vacillating men in power.”
“The Lady Scribblers,” directed by Tracy Ward and written by Berkeley playwright Michaela Goldhaber, made its world premiere at Custom Made Theatre Company in SF and enjoyed a successful partial March 2020 run, prior to a forced closure due to COVID-19. The comedy tells the story of Catherine Trotters, Delarivier “Delia” Manley, and Mary Pix, three aspiring female playwrights in late 17th century England who continue the legacy of Aphra Behn – their country’s first working female playwright – following her death. As they work to ensure their own plays reach the stage, they’re joined by a group of disgruntled actors, and together the group hatches a plot to combat the overblown, spectacle-based United Company theatre group, led by the domineering Christopher Rich.
“Catherine Trotters, Delarivier ‘Delia’ Manley, and Mary Pix were all successful female writers and playwrights during the Restoration of the monarchy. Indeed, they paved the way for women to enter the theater world.”
“How fitting to open ‘The Lady Scribblers’ on International Women’s Day. Women from Mexico to Pakistan are still marching in protest about their treatment by a world governed disastrously by men. Well worth a visit to see how this fresh comedy exercises newfound power.”
“The Lady Scribblers” by Michaela Goldhaber, directed by Tracy Ward, by The Custom Made Theatre, co-produced with Those Women Productions, San Francisco, through Sunday, March 29, 2020. Info: custommade.org
Cast: Annika Bergman, Emma Curtin, Valerie Fachman, Michael Houston, Oluchi Nwokocha, Dave Sikula, Emily Stone, J.J. Van Name, and Ted Zoldan.