Review: Quartet of female ‘Revolutionists’ funny in a modern way at Outfit

Watching “The Revolutionists,” onstage at Theatrical Outfit through June 28, it’s easy to see why Decatur native Lauren Gunderson has become one of the most widely produced playwrights in America. She has a rare knack for making big ideas seem entertaining without making them seem any less serious or complex. Just as importantly, she understands what makes live theater distinct.

Set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, “The Revolutionists” imagines a historical gathering of four women: playwright and activist Olympe de Gouges; assassin Charlotte Corday; deposed queen Marie Antoinette; and the fictional Marianne Angelle, a composite of very real Black Caribbean revolutionary abolitionist women whose names have too often been lost to history.

Courtney Patterson, left, as playwright Olympe de Gouges with Marie Antoinette (Bethany Anne Lind). (Courtesy of Theatrical Outfit/Casey Gardner Ford)

Though these women never shared a room, Gunderson brings them together in a fast-moving comedy that explores art, politics, friendship and the ways that history remembers — and often obscures — the lives of real people.

The play is experimental and even “meta,” but don’t let that frighten you away. It’s never overly serious or inaccessible. Characters speak with a modern frankness that shrinks the distance between the 18th century and today. Their outsize convictions and central roles in world-changing events coexist alongside their contemporary banter and recognizably modern flaws and vanities.

Director Amber McGinnis wisely trusts both the script’s approach and her four performers. They navigate Gunderson’s unusual blend of comedy, self-awareness and historical drama with ease. As the central figure, playwright Olympe de Gouges, Courtney Patterson finds both the character’s uneasy ambition and her growing sense of purpose. Tiffany Denise Hobbs’ portrayal of Marianne Angelle captures both the character’s fierce commitment to abolition and its personal costs. And Bethany Anne Lind playfully leans into Marie Antoinette’s “Legally Blonde” comic persona while revealing unexpected depth beneath the surface. In keeping with Gunderson’s script, Erika Miranda makes even stabby Charlotte Corday seem like a friend you’d like to have.