Despite Outstanding Performances, “Bitches” Is Disappointing

Take a little of “Orange is the New Black,” sprinkle in a bit of “Desperate Housewives,” and you get Epic Theatre Company’s new production, These Ruthless Bitches. The show is loosely based on Claire Booth Luce’s The Women, a comedy of manners in New York high society. These Ruthless Bitches transplants the milieu to a women’s prison where the inmates gossip and scheme with gleeful abandon.

The catty insults abound as new inmate Mary (Emily Lewis), a “rich bitch,” realizes her marriage is being discussed by Sylvia (Hannah Lum), Peggy (Melanie Stone), Edith (MJ Daly) and Nancy (Christine Pavao). Mary’s husband is having an affair with Crystal, who Mary is horrified to learn “works in retail.” Eventually, Mary and Crystal have a heated confrontation about the affair. Meanwhile, Edith is also unhappily married and pregnant. Nancy is a lesbian who is writing a book about her prison experiences. The Countess (Jill D. Jones) regales the women with stories about her unsuccessful marriages.

These Ruthless Bitches was adapted by Kevin Broccoli and directed by Broccoli and Tammy Brown, who recently starred in Epic’s production of Orlando. Broccoli is skilled at crafting witty dialogue and there is plenty of it to be found here. What Broccoli and Brown have created is high camp, broadly played by the large ensemble of actresses. They scream, shriek, cry and enter and exit the scenes with dramatic flourishes. After a while, however, it becomes tiresome and repetitive, and the story ends with a whimper, which is a shame, because the performances are outstanding across the board.

Tiffany Fenton is amusing to watch as Mindy, the prison hairdresser who knows everyone’s business. Mary Paolino, most recently seen as a nun in Doubt, has some very funny moments as Mrs. Morehead, who dispenses loving advice to her daughter Mary. Kerry Giorgi, as the vixen Crystal, exudes tremendous charisma and is always mesmerizing to watch.
Lewis and Lum do the best they can with their roles, but are defeated by the script’s weaknesses.

The production is bare bones. No sets, just a group of chairs on stage. The original music by Cat Has Claws enhances the tumultuous mood of the production.

These Ruthless Bitches has a lot of energy and some laughs, but ultimately seems unsure of what message it is trying to convey.

These Ruthless Bitches runs through September 19. All Performances @ 8pm at The Artists Exchange
Located at 82 Rolfe Square, Cranston. 

For tickets, go to artists-exchange.org/epictheatrecompany.html