Rusalka by Erika Phoebus
Based on real events in WWII, two sisters join the Resistance and head to an illegal, underground jazz club to find, seduce, and assassinate Nazi officers. A minimalist production with a live band, using a mix of standards from the time and contemporary music to create a sense of freedom, sin, and rebellion. I mean, ladies killing Nazis—what’s not to love? Also, the costume design by Ben Philipp was incredible.
5 Planet Connections Awards including Outstanding Production, Direction, Ensemble.
Selected as a Best Bet on Theater is Easy
“Director Isaac Byrne creates an enticing yet foreboding atmosphere with the world of the club. The use of practical lighting in the form of lanterns and footlights made out of coffee cans lends a sense of everyone in this play operating in the shadows, whether it’s the sisters, the musicians fighting for the chance to continue playing their non-Nazi sanctioned tunes or even the SS officers seeking relief from their own obligations. Byrne and music coordinator Chris Cornwell underscores the immediate relevance of the world these characters face with the use of contemporary music set to the rhythms of a 1940s cabaret. I squealed with delight as I realized Cornwell as the club owner was crooning the hedonistic, apocalyptic refrain for “Screwed” by Janelle Monae as he opened up shop.” New York Theatre Review
“A killer feminist show with excellent casting and blood-stirring music...an explosive mixture of eroticism and danger...an irresistable and intricate dance of seduction and threat, a play that grips you with its poetic beauty and morbid horror, yet is incredibly empowering.” Theater is Easy
5 Planet Connections Awards including Outstanding Production, Direction, Ensemble.
Selected as a Best Bet on Theater is Easy
“Director Isaac Byrne creates an enticing yet foreboding atmosphere with the world of the club. The use of practical lighting in the form of lanterns and footlights made out of coffee cans lends a sense of everyone in this play operating in the shadows, whether it’s the sisters, the musicians fighting for the chance to continue playing their non-Nazi sanctioned tunes or even the SS officers seeking relief from their own obligations. Byrne and music coordinator Chris Cornwell underscores the immediate relevance of the world these characters face with the use of contemporary music set to the rhythms of a 1940s cabaret. I squealed with delight as I realized Cornwell as the club owner was crooning the hedonistic, apocalyptic refrain for “Screwed” by Janelle Monae as he opened up shop.” New York Theatre Review
“A killer feminist show with excellent casting and blood-stirring music...an explosive mixture of eroticism and danger...an irresistable and intricate dance of seduction and threat, a play that grips you with its poetic beauty and morbid horror, yet is incredibly empowering.” Theater is Easy