By James V. Ruocco
Let the games begin.
In Andromeda Theatre Guild's electric-charged mounting of Gracie Gardner's acclaimed play "Athena," the immersive setting, or playing ground of the storytelling arena, if you prefer, is a high-performance fencing piste where fencers take the competitive spotlight in full-fencing gear using techniques, combat and exemplary disciplines to score winning points made through the weapon's actual contact with their dueling opponent.
Parrying.
Sparring.
Dodging.
Teasing.
Scoring.
Advancing.
Lunging.
Winning.
It's a heated contest embellished by guttural screaming, slippery tactics, strategy, attack and blade-to-blade swordplay, all breathlessly engaged for the pursuit of glory, status, position and oh, yes, friendship.
The Players, first introduced by Gardner in the opening minutes of her intermission less 90-minute play are high schoolers and practice partners Athena (a "fencing name" by choice) and Mary Wallace, two very anxious, disciplined and dedicated young women from different backgrounds who become fast friends and eventual confidantes hoping to qualify for nationals and perhaps, even the Olympics.
With the groundwork laid, Gardner crafts a skillful, intriguing, brisk two-character play of competition, battle, coming-of-age, adolescence and expression, offset by precise fight choreography and personal reflection that heightens the set-up, the evolution, the conflict and the outcome of the story's confidant, growing, concentrated dynamic.
It's fun.
It's edgy.
It's timely.
It's urgent.
It's distinct.
The vitality, establishment and metaphorical thrust of "Athena" is also showcased with an "en garde" depth, quickness, verbiage, kinetic spirit and atmospheric allure that prompts immediate attention, stirs the senses, ignites the onstage conversations and punctuates the velocity of the swinging blade.
"I get emotional too," Athena tells Mary Wallace. "Sometimes, after I lose, I'll bump into a random person on the street, on purpose. And I won't say sorry."
Much later, Athena admits, "I love knowing for a moment that I'm objectively better than someone else."
The culmination of the duo's journey, their connection, their destiny and their love of sport is robustly addressed and recounted with stoked assurance by "Athena" director Terrance J. Peters ("She Kills Monsters"), a fencer himself who brings years of knowledge and experience to the production along with an understanding of how the game is played, how each weapon has its own set of rules and regulations, how a point is scored and how contact is made with an opponent. It's an intuitive directorial feat that articulates the paradoxical status of the fencing drama itself, its bouts, its practices, its maneuvers and lastly, a final fencing match where the scores are projected on the back wall and the final outcome is revealed along with an eleventh-hour twist involving the appearance of a third character named Jamie (a well-played cameo turn by the charismatic Emma Holden),
Directorially, this is Peters show.
Gardner's "girls who fence" script is braced with believability, guard, capture, propulsion and cutthroat edge by Peters who shakes and stirs "Athena" with lots of physical movement, vibration and spar and épée. In his eyes, there is so much more going on here than just an ordinary tale of adolescence and competition.
As the character's talk, parry, chat, change clothes, engage or move about stage, anxious to blend in, stand out or make their mark, Peters keeps the action REAL, connecting the dots, pauses and points of the playtext with well-orchestrated definition, adrenaline and purpose. Each scene - short, long or in between - makes it point with blocking, movements and precise staging combat and fencing choices that plunge the action forward with lucidity and drive, offset by simple, mandated lighting cues, sound cues, music cues and atmospheric immersion that complement and define the pending action of the narrative.
Nothing is out of place. Nothing is thrown in for extra measure. Nothing is scuffed, bruised or bandied. Nothing is awkward or out of sync. There's tension. There's comedy. There's conflict. There's bonding. There's gaming. There's uncertainty. There's surprise. There's bickering. There's conditioning. There's showmanship.
Here, the weapon of choice is steadied by Peters and duked out with the competitive ambiguity and achievement envisioned by Gardner and never once out of sync with the words and actions of the storytelling at hand.
"Athena," the debut production of the newly implemented Andromeda Theatre Guild, stars Sydney Yargeau as Athena and Emma Rucci as Mary Wallace. Their combined stage credits include prominent roles in "She Kills Monsters," "Spring Awakening," "The Rocky Horror Show," "Shrek the Musical" and "Ride the Cyclone."
Well suited for their individual roles in "Athena," both actresses command the stage with important, witty, vivid and angst-ridden performances that reflect the aesthetic, metaphor-packed allure of their individual characterizations, desires, innuendo, roars, quirks, fizz, demands, sparks and sweet spots.
They are game. They are ready. They are centered. They are close. They are head on. They are bright. They are intriguing.
Their onstage camaraderie - a combination of poise, physicality, twinkle, fury, femininity and imagination - is unleashed with such in-the-moment honesty, drama and charm, one is immediately drawn into their story with a curiosity and hunger that never wavers for a moment.
An intoxicating, focused exploration about women, friendship, sport and a clash of swords, Gracie Gardner's "Athena" is a witty, dynamic coming-of-age drama full of real-life action and banter, wonderfully calibrated by director Terrance J. Peters.
It's shouty. It's forceful. It's fast. It's intriguing. It's engaging.
There's instinct and opinion here, matched by two passionate, colorful, well-rounded performances that complement the playwright's vision, genius and fascination with athletic competition.
On and off the piste, it is standout theatre of the highest order.
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