{"id":356983,"date":"2024-07-15T15:18:05","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T19:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=356983"},"modified":"2024-07-15T15:18:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T19:18:05","slug":"2024-capital-fringe-review-over-her-dead-body-revival-by-pinky-swear-productions-4-%c2%bd-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/07\/15\/2024-capital-fringe-review-over-her-dead-body-revival-by-pinky-swear-productions-4-%c2%bd-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Over Her Dead Body: Revival’ by Pinky Swear Productions (4 \u00bd stars)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"P<\/span>oisoning! Stabbing! Revenge! Ghosts! Ballads! Comedy! Over Her Dead Body<\/em> has it all in this 70-minute bluegrass dive into murder ballads, directed by Kevin Pace, and featuring Jordan Avellino, James Finley, Annie Graninger, Karen Lange, Toni Rae Salmi, and swing Beth Amann performing on Sunday afternoon when this reviewer was in the audience.<\/p>\n

Over Her Dead Body<\/em>, a hit at the 2016 Capital Fringe, winning Best Musical and Best of Fringe that year, makes a rollicking comeback in this year\u2019s Capital Fringe.<\/p>\n

\"\"It\u2019s set as a live show at a bluegrass radio program hosted by Big Willy (played with Johnny Cash\u2013like panache by James Finley) and featuring the Appalachian Angels. The theatrical audience is drawn into the play with a bit of engaging interactive theater as the live studio audience.<\/p>\n

Over Her Dead Body<\/em> is also an exploration into the male-female dynamics of the ever-popular murder ballads. The musical includes songs that date back to the 18th century. One standout set was a duet between Ava (Karen Lange) and Big Willy\u2014a haunting ballad that tells us \u201cShe walks these hills in a long black veil and visits his grave\u2026\u201d beautifully sung and performed.<\/p>\n

While the onstage three-piece band occasionally overpowered the voices on the stage, the four Appalachian Angeles were not only musical, but comic standouts especially when they offered an eager audience the top ten ways not<\/em> to be part of a murder ballad. As Big Willy wryly adds, \u201cThere were good men but we just don\u2019t sing about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinky Swear Productions is a feminist theater company and Over Her Dead Body<\/em> ends in a satisfying spectral feminist turn.<\/p>\n

This troupe is on its way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this summer, and this reviewer is sure that this musical will slay \u2019em!<\/p>\n

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Running Time: 70 minutes
\nGenre: Musical
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