Review: ” In the Forest, She Grew Fangs”
Callan Shore, staff writer
The stage was dark and barren except for a few benches, and the actors were dressed in all black. But what appeared to be merely a simple production of an obscure play turned out to be an intense and insightful commentary on bullying. Between Oct. 25 and Nov. 3, Gorilla Theatre Productions of Charlottesville put on 10 shows of In the Forest, She Grew Fangs, a play written by Stephen Spotswood.
The two-hour play is a horror-story version of Little Red Riding Hood based on real-life problems. However, in this story, the girl is not defenseless, and there is a lot more blood. The main character Lucy is played by Kendall Stewart, a radio host for 106.1 The Corner. Lucy is a teen in an isolated town who is brutally bullied by her classmates. The play is broken up into scenes of reality and the sinister worlds that exist inside Lucy’s head.
When a new girl Jenny, played by Jenny Bottas, comes to town, Lucy becomes enamored and begins to follow Jenny around. Each character, from Lucy’s naïve grandmother to the star football player, has a disturbing secret, but eventually Lucy’s secrets become too much for her to handle.
Though there were few actors in the play, they brilliantly played multi-dimensional characters and transformed the stage into a foreboding forest and troubled town. The cast spans a variety of ages, but each actor was well cast for their role. Despite the local level of this play, it was enthralling and frighteningly realistic.
Those who want to attend or act in a Gorilla Theatre Production, can visit their website.
