‘Artemisia’ @ Circle Theatre
Photos by Evan Michael Woods
—Jan Farrington
In its early days, the Kimbell Museum organized an exhibit of the work of Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653, or thereabouts).
“Who?” we asked. Doesn’t ring a bell—and then we were stunned by the power, craft, and beauty of her work.
She’s come back to the Kimbell twice in just the past few years, in the museum’s 2020 “Flesh and Blood” exhibit, and last year for a stunning pair-up of her Judith and Holofernes (c. 1612) with artist Kehinde Wiley’s Judith and Holofernes (2012). Two Biblical beheadings painted 400 years apart, both breathtaking in very different ways. Gentileschi was, and is, the most famous woman painter of the 17th century.
But she had to fight for it.
At Circle Theatre, playwright Lauren Gunderson’s Artemisia dives into some dark corners of history—but her script sparks with enough clever comedy and banter to light up the stage, the vivid characters, and the gorgeous Great Masters set: all golds and crimsons, with dramatic enlargements of Gentileschi’s painting Susanna and the Elders. (Set design by Leah Mazur; scenic painting, wow, by Isabella Barnett; great lighting by Nikki DeShea Smith.)
The name Artemisia is a variant of “Artemis,” the goddess of wild nature and the hunt, but also the guardian of childbirth. Artemisia G. survived rape, torture, social shaming, and her father (a rival painter). She left Rome, her hometown, and re-settled in Florence with the small-time artist husband she married to give herself some freedom.
She became famous and well-off, had five children (and lost most of them), traveled the world, and lived long, at least for the time. The year of her death is uncertain: 1653, 1654…or even later. More or less alone by that time, perhaps she sailed from Naples to an adventure we’ll never know about…unless we find her paintings there.
Two actresses play Artemisia, literally handing over the role as they cross the stage to clasp hands and transfer the painbrush. Maddie Suttles (an engaging TCU senior) plays quick-witted, sure of herself Artemisia as a teen and young woman, and later her daughter Prudenzia. Sky Williams is the grown Artemisia Madre—the wounded but driven wife and mother, the celebrity artist, the self-promoter, the passionate woman (or at least, as Jessica Rabbit would say, she’s drawn that way).
Paul Taylor plays father Orazio, who cares in his own odd way—but is all too ready to pressure and use his talented daughter. Jenna Anderson is wry and funny as Orazio’s wife (a good-hearted stepmother for once!), and as the socialite Duchess Christina, who adopts Artemisia as her pet project. (All of Christina Vargas’ costumes are period and fab, but the Duchess gets the best.) Carson Wright is Francesco, a rich Florentine admirer (and part of the Duchess’s project) who just might be The One, if he and Artemisia can get their complicated lives in sync.
With Gunderson’s script to play with and first-time director Taylor Staniforth at the helm, the cast’s portrayals are lively, emotional, genuinely comic, and guaranteed to make us feel deeply for this strong, struggling woman who pays so much for her artistry. “I need a wife,” she says wryly to Francesco—funny, but so true.
And by the way, this is the much-coveted second production of Artemisia—a regional premiere and a big deal for Circle and Gunderson both. In prior seasons, Circle has produced her plays Exit, Pursued By a Bear, The Taming, and I and You, and her other works have appeared frequently on area stages (Ada and the Engine, The Book of Will, The Revolutionists, Natural Shocks, Silent Sky, etc.).
More, please.
WHEN: February 1-24, 2024
WHERE: Circle Theatre, 230 W. Fourth Street, Fort Worth
WEB: circletheatre.com
