#jessica's story of realizing her dream and becoming an actor is so touching

[djkerr]

Jessica Williams gets some support from Shrinking co-star Harrison Ford during her "I am an actor" introduction at this year's SAG Awards.

(February 23, 2025)

🎥 @netflix X

[itsallyscorner]

so, I was watching the video that came out today and I was thinking about a age gap seb x reader around his friends like Jessica or maybe chace? And they're just hanging out and they both have this lovesick look on their faces and when she leaves the room for some reason they don't waste any time addressing how in love she is with him, and sebs glad bc they were kinda wary of her at first?

Hiyaaa babes! This is my first request so woohoo🥳 Since you mentioned the video, I literally thought of the pictures that were released while they were filming 355, and now I can’t get the image of Seb in Paris because holy shit he looked good. So I’m gonna be using Jessica❤️

- This came out so long, I’m a sucker for background info and can’t get past writing a story without one💀 Enjoy!💜

💌.

Lovesick

You and Sebastian were unexpected. Literally the chances of you guys getting together were so off and you guys were at different times of your lives. He was in his late 30s, already living most of his life as a successful actor. While you were in your early 20s still in college working on your doctoral degree to become a Pharmacist (It was the only major I could think of atm because it’s the one I’m planing on lol.) You guys met at the cafe near your campus. You always went there every morning and would spot him drinking his morning coffee with his nose stuck in a new script he was reading. You two would sneak glances at each other, admiring each other from afar. Until one day when the cafe was fairly packed and you needed a place to sit. You spotted his familiar face and asked him if you could sit in the seat across from him. Obviously he agreed and you guys talked, getting to know each other the whole time. When it was time for you to leave for classes, you guys exchanged numbers and kept in touch.

Which brings us to today. You and Sebastian have been going strong for about a year now and were approaching your second year together. Though you two are as happy as can be and are still in the honeymoon phase (even after a year), the first few months of the relationship were quite rough. There was an obvious age gap between you two, it didn’t bother you two as much, but the public didn’t react too nicely about it. Your parents weren’t too fond of the idea of you dating an older man, but after getting to know him they knew his intentions with you were well. Same goes for your friends and family. When it came to his fans and the media finding about your relationship, that’s when it went to shit.

The media made Sebastian look like some creep who was going through a midlife crisis for dating someone much younger than him. A few “fans” even claimed that he were a “groomer” after pictures of you and him heavily making out on the street were released. These issues caused some bumps in the road for your relationship, though after many arguments, you two realized that the only opinions that mattered were each other’s.

Now you two were staying at a hotel in Paris. Sebastian was currently working on a big project, “The 355”, something he was very excited about. This was one of the first projects that he was really involved in, from script to screen, he played a pretty big role in this project.

You were typing up a report for your class when Sebastian entered the hotel room. He was still in his set clothes, a light blue shirt, dark jeans, and a pair of Chelsea boots. He approached the bed where you were typing and pressed a kiss to your temple.

“Hey sweetheart, how’s school going?” He greeted you as he settled himself on the bed, laying on his side.

“Meh, it’s going...but I finished my report on time. Now I just need to proofread it.” You smiled as you finished typing the last sentence of your report. When Sebastian discovered he was going to film in Paris, he immediately told you, knowing you’ve been dreaming of visiting Paris. Luckily for the both of you, your school allowed you to do online learning (it probably doesn’t work like that but just go with it) and you were able to tag along with him.

��I’m sure it’s prefect, you’re a great writer.” He complimented, you hummed in response. Turning to him you run your hand through his short hair making him lean into your touch. You loved his fluffy hair but the short hair was starting to grow on you.

Sebastian turned his head and pressed a kiss into your palm, stormy eyes gazing up at you.

“How has your day been?” You asked.

“It was good. We got through a good amount of scenes without messing up, so I’d say it was a successful day.” He answered. You smiled at his enthusiasm. Sebastian’s face always lit up when he was talking about a project and it was one of the things you admired most about him, his passion for his work.

“So, you’ve been cooped up in this damn hotel all day. Why don’t you come to dinner with me and the cast tonight? You’ve been waiting to visit Paris all your life and you haven’t even been outside this hotel for days.” He suggested. It was true, you haven’t done much but do school work, order room service, and binge watch shows on Netflix.

“Are you sure they’d want me to come? I might be intruding.” Honestly you were nervous to meet the rest of the cast. You’ve met Jessica a few times but they were brief and she seemed like she didn’t like you. Though that could just be your thoughts making you paranoid, you were still nervous to meet the people Seb worked with. You didn’t want them to think you were using him for money or to travel around the world because you weren’t. You loved Sebastian for himself, not the money and the fame, you could care less about all that.

But they were still Sebastian’s friends and you wanted to have a good first impression on them. You didn’t want them to think you were just some immature college girl who needed money to pay off her college funds.

Noticing you were drifting off, Sebastian pressed another kiss into your palm and grasps it. “You wouldn’t be intruding, Jessica actually suggested you come along.” He mentioned.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive, baby. Come on, let’s put this stuff away and get ready. We’re having dinner at the Eiffel Tower.”

“I— the Eiffel Tower?”

•

To say you were intimidated and scared shitless was an understatement. Here you were in the Eiffel Tower having dinner with some of the most talented women in Hollywood. Like seriously Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, and Diane Kruger. Of course Seb and Édgar Ramírez where there as well. Then there was you, NYC local college student. You didn’t wanna say you felt out of place, but you did. These were successful people who probably starred in some of the movies you watched growing up. Now you’re literally in the Eiffel fucking Tower having dinner with them.

Dinner was going smoothly, everyone was talking about the set, shared some funny stories, and you were keeping to yourself simply eating your steak. That was until the attention was brought to you.

“So (y/n), Sebastian mentioned you were in college, what are you studying?” Jessica asked. Everyone turned to you and you swear you felt like a deer in headlights. Seb nudged your thigh with his, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Yes I am! I’m actually taking a PharmD program at St. John Fisher to become a Pharmacist.” you answered.

“For your masters?” She followed up curiously, slightly leaning forward to you.

“No, for my doctoral degree.” You corrected her proudly. You didn’t want to come off as an ass, but you were proud of your work and you worked your ass off for it.

Everyone at the table was taken back by your response. Except Sebastian, who had a just as proud smile on his face. They knew you were in college but not studying something as serious as Pharmacy.

“St.John Fisher College? I had a cousin that went there, it’s a great college.” Lupita was the first to break the silence.

“So are you working in the field yet? For some experience?” Penélope chimed in. Sebastian snorted, “Oh she has experience, trust me.”

You chuckled as you softly smacked Seb’s bicep, “Well currently, I’m interning as a Pharmacy Tech at a hospital pharmacy. They’re thinking about making me a permanent one until I graduate so fingers crossed!”

As you answered all their questions about your personal life and your major, Sebastian couldn’t help but just admire you. Just like how you admired the way he talked about his projects, he admired the way you got lost in rambling about your soon career. The way your eyes lit up, how your hands moved while you talked, and that hint of a smile on your face. He absolutely adored every single thing about you.

Dinner continued, the last question for you about why you chose to do college in New York, which segwayed into a conversation about— well New York. As the others talked about their love for the city, Sebastian wrapped his arm around your shoulders. Your back was now pressed to his chest, both of you not listening to the conversation. You pressed a kiss to his arm and looked back at him.

“Hey you.” You hummed at him rubbing your thumb along his arm.

“Hi.” He gazed down at you with that smile that made his eyes crinkle. The moment was interrupted by your phone ringing. Quickly glancing at the contact ID, it was the hospital pharmacy you interned for.

“You should take that.” Seb whispered into your ear.

“No, Seb that’s rude. We’re at dinner, I’m sure it can wait.”

“I have a good feeling about this call, draga mea.” He coaxed you. Having a feeling that he might be right you excuse yourself from the table. When you’re gone the table goes quiet.

“Sebastian, you’ve got one hell of a girlfriend.” Penélope stated as the rest of the table agreed.

“She’s so smart! What the hell, a doctoral degree? Kudos to her because the amount of motivation I would need to even try!” Jessica followed up with an amazed look on her face.

“I think you guys are forgetting to mention how whipped they both are for each other! Those two were in their own world over there!” Lupita pointed out. The whole table laughed as Sebastian was turning red. Of course he was whipped, he knew he was.

“I love her guys, she’s, she’s something else. The spunk she has, her intelligence, she’s-,” Sebastian began to list but was cut off by Édgar, “Out of your league?”

The whole table burst into laughter as they agreed with Édgar. You were also coming back to the table after your call. Sebastian spotted you, eyes connecting to yours immediately.

“Everything alright?”

“They gave me the permanent job!”

draga mea - my darling 

[insanityclause]

There are few directors who toy with the conventions as Guillermo del Toro does, and there’s no question that he puts his own unique stamp on several genres he clearly adores in the 2015 film Crimson Peak. Gothic romance, horror story, twisted fairy tale, and bodice-ripper – the film has it all. Del Toro’s vision comes through in every frame, much like the eponymous location, which oozes red and looms above all else, including the characters.

We learn the name of the rotting estate far before we learn the name of our heroine Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), the demurely optimistic, aspiring writer who is the child of a self-made business tycoon (Jim Beaver) in early 20th century America. She may take after her father in her disdain for those who inherited their wealth – ironic being that she’s an heiress herself – but she’s nevertheless swept off her feet in a passionate whirlwind romance when the English baronet Tom Hiddleston… errr… Thomas Sharpe comes to town, the very man her (dead) mother warned her about.

Hardly surprising it didn’t take, given Hiddleston’s charms, and the fact that the film takes pains to state that Edith could be the belle of many a ball… if she didn’t scorn the frivolities all the other female characters take so seriously, often belittling Edith for her bookish interests. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how often female characters lacked friends of the same gender until about 2016.

When Edith and Thomas marry and she’s taken to her to new husband’s ancestral estate, the titular Crimson Peak, that’s when del Toro is in glorious peak form. It’s also when the film’s flaws really rise up, much like the specters who immediately make themselves known to Edith and guide her in deciphering the various secrets Thomas and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) are hiding.

And they’re clearly hiding something. Crimson Peak may have plenty of modern touches and make full use of all the effects thereof, but there’s not a sneer or a smirk to be found. The film wears its bloody heart on its sleeve, unafraid of its own sincerity as the plot unfolds, with plenty of revelations, but few surprises. There’s no doubt that “ghosts are real,” as Edith states in the beginning, and anyone expecting shocking, upending plots twists will be quite disappointed.

There’s also little doubt as to who the real villain is, and why many reviewers cited Rebecca and Jane Eyre (one version of which also starred Wasikowska) as clear influences. Both feature young, strong, yet naive heroines who must contend with older, worldly, deeply sexual women as obstacles to the happiness awaiting them, and Edith is certainly in that heroic mold. With her bright blonde hair, yellow dresses, the way her hands tremble as she wanders fearfully alone through her creepily oppressive home holding aloft a lit candelabra, she is the innocent virgin, the victim we always sympathize with. How could we help ourselves?

Since this is a film with few surprises and no subtlety, it’s hardly shocking that her main oppressor Lucille Sharpe isn’t just Edith’s opposite, but everything society tells women not to be: deeply sexual, filled with rage, and perhaps most crucially, older, unmarried, and sans children. From the moment we meet her, black-haired and wrapped in a red dress as she plays a darkly beautiful tune on the piano with icy precision, she embodies the Sharpe home and its unsavory history.

Thomas may be a fully aware, willing participant in their crimes, but Lucille is the one who gets her hands dirty and disposes of their many victims, with Chastain throwing herself into the role and quickly becoming the standout as Lucille and Edith play their deadly game, each trying to survive the other.

Make no mistake, it’s not just Edith battling for survival as the siblings slowly poison her on their isolated estate, which seems to ooze blood as it slowly sinks into the red clay beneath. What Crimson Peak fails to recognize, even as it provides plenty of motives for Lucille’s actions and occasionally grants her moments of vulnerability, is that Lucille’s life is at stake too, and not just for her crimes, which have been many and grisly.

For all her privilege, she is a woman with few resources and opportunities, who endured a childhood of physical and emotional abuse. Conversations reveal how much physical violence was a fixture in the life of her and her brother, with their mother regularly beating them both with a cane, and whose father beat her so severely he broke her leg and left her bedridden for a time.

And yet Lucille is the one society expects to nurse her abuser back to health (and did). She also receives the majority of the blame not just for the crimes she and her brother commit, but for their incestuous relationship. Thomas has the face of a tortured angel as he becomes more and more conflicted, even partly redeemed when he eventually attempts to save Edith from his sister. Hiddleston is more than up to the challenge, and it’s hard to picture other actors so convincingly pulling this off and earning our sympathy.

That Edith does survive (women like her always make it to the end) is mostly thanks to her childhood friend Alan (Charlie Hunnam), who harbors an unrequited love for her and investigates. Edith may have deduced what was happening, but she’s no match for Lucille, who not only outwits her at every turn but is fully aware of how toxic the love she and Thomas have for each other is.

The truth is that Lucille is the character who most closely resembles a victim of abuse. Lucille is constantly in survival mode, believes that love is finite in a fundamentally harsh and unjust world, and most tragically, continues the cycle of violence by inflicting it upon others, whether it’s her own mother, or the women Thomas marries for their money and she disposes of, and whose situations bear an unsettling resemblance to her own. All of them were wealthy women with no living relatives to look for them, with their dreams of a better life long since abandoned.

Similarly, Lucille’s solace both during and after her abuse is Thomas, the only one who shared her pain. The night he and Edith spend away from Crimson Peak and consummate their marriage is when Lucille has a small breakdown as she realizes she’s losing the only person she was ever able to love, as well as her sole source of economic support.

Pick up any Jane Austen novel and you’ll find entire plots set in motion by young brides who were less than sympathetic to their husbands’ spinster relations. And Chastain isn’t just more interesting than any blushing bride, it’s compulsively fascinating to watch her smile and be a villain in the mold of the best Shakespeare antagonists. So larger than life is she that even the decaying mansion which creaks and groans at every turn as if mourning the various sins it houses can swallow her up. No wonder the ghosts aren’t that frightening — they’re merely the direct results of the evil deeds the living commit, many of whom are just as frozen in time as the deceased who haunt their halls.

Not that Edith doesn’t deserve our sympathy, but how could she really compare? Del Toro knows it, and he’s fully aware of who should have the last word, if not the last lines. Lucille may not find peace even in death, but it’s nevertheless her fate to remain a formidable presence in the place where her greatest pain and her greatest joys are gruesomely intertwined, determined to remain in the past in a world that left her behind long ago.

[starstruckteacup]

Cottagecore Films (pt. 2)

Big Fish (2003)

starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter

William Bloom visits his storytelling father, Edward Bloom, in his final days, trying to separate the fiction he grew up with from the facts he so desperately seeks. The film follows Edward’s recounting of his life through stories so extravagant that they can’t possibly be real, or can they? Ed grows up the star of a small town, but quickly realizes he needs more from life than it can give him. He finds himself on the road untravelled, until he meets the love of his life, Sandra; he dedicates years to learning who she is so he can marry her. His love for Sandra is the central focus of many of his tall tales, but Will can’t see beyond the doubt that he is missing something. As it turns out, he is, but it’s not what he was expecting.

I truly love this movie. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s been several years since I gave it a watch, and it once again brought tears of joy to my eyes. You quickly become invested in Ed’s high-flying adventures and his infallible love for other people, and you can’t help but wish you had known him yourself. This film is incredibly touching, adventurous, passionate, and unusual, all tied together with the appreciation of life as the simple and complex miracle that it is. I rarely call a film magical, but this one certainly has something special about it. 10/10

Goodbye First Love (2011)

TW: suicide attempt (offscreen), rape mention, miscarriage, nudity of a portrayed minor

starring Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Magne-Håvard Brekke

At only 15 years old, Camille is deeply in love with 19-year-old Sullivan. They spend much of their free time together, until Sullivan leaves for a 10 month trip to South America, where he writes to Camille for several months before losing all contact. Camille struggles to move on, but over the years works through her grief and begins work as an architect, where she meets her second love. However, circumstances align and she runs into Sullivan once again, seven years later. Camille struggles to reconcile her past, present, and future in this aesthetic French film.

I enjoyed about a third of this movie: the imagery--the French countryside where Camille’s summer house was located especially--the description of what makes a home from an architect’s perspective, and Camille’s growth as an independent individual. The actors were good, and it wasn’t a bad film, per se, but Camille and Sullivan’s relationship sucked much of the joy from the film, especially as its toxicity was portrayed as acceptable to the audience. Instead of showing how Camille deserved better through Lorenz’s character, their relationship nearly fails before they reconcile, with Camille never facing the repercussions of her actions. Sullivan sucks her will to live and love for life, yet the audience is expected to perceive him as the romantic dream, and Lorenz as someone Camille is settling for. The film is supposed to end on a happy note, with Camille finally becoming healthy and stable, but it rings hollow given the pacing of the film and the lack of character interactions. 4/10

Change in the Air (2018)

TW: attempted suicide (offscreen)

starring Rachel Brosnahan, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Gerety, Aidan Quinn

A mysterious young woman named Wren moves into a small suburban neighborhood, attracting the attention of her neighbors. Jo Ann, a particularly nosy retiree, follows her actions closely in an effort to understand who Wren is and what she is doing in the neighborhood, and is soon joined by mailman Josh. Simultaneously, Officer Burkheart dedicates his own time to trying to figure out who this mysterious woman is while trying to maintain consistency in the neighborhood. These endeavors bring several characters to terms with their own deep secrets and conflicts, allowing many of them to overcome their own personal tragedies.

I wasn’t entirely thrilled by this movie. It did a lot of telling instead of showing, but I still felt like several key plot points weren’t sufficiently explained. The characters were enjoyable, but I rarely understood their actions and motivations fully, even when they announced it to the audience. It has a very peaceful atmosphere, and I liked the setting of the quiet suburban neighborhood because it makes everything feel a little more mysterious for them and to the audience. The only trouble was that several of those mysteries were never solved within the film, and I ended the movie more confused than I was at the beginning. 3/10

Part One

[zutsuitriot]

Genderbending Robin Hood Adventure Marian Flies True

While Robin Hood tales have run the gamut from swashbuckling adventure to serious romantic drama to winking parody to dancing foxes, a few constants remain as true as Robin’s shaft-splitting arrow: Robin Hood, master of both archery and disguise, leads his band of Merry Men to rob from the rich and give to the poor. But what if the real treasure that Robin loots from the privileged (that is, men) is opportunity and agency for everyone else (women and gender-nonconforming people)?

Oh, and Robin Hood was Maid Marian the entire time. It’s the kind of delightful twist that could have been the climax of another tale, but playwright Adam Szymkowicz makes it nearly the opening line of Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood. And suddenly, just like the anthropomorphic residents of Disney’s Sherwood Forest or the bellowing refrains of “Men in Tights” from Mel Brooks, a new lens is put into place, through which to reevaluate the familiar trappings of this archetypal tale.

Not that Flux Theatre Ensemble’s charming production disregards those familiar trappings: Will Lowry’s set places the audience in the middle of the action as if they had wandered into a Renaissance faire or made a reservation at Medieval Times; the pennants extending into the intimate seating at the New Ohio Theatre has a positively transporting effect. With Lowry having set the stage, Kelly O’Donnell’s excellent direction populates it with the players, their revolving door of entrances and exits the stuff of French farce.

Truth be told, the Robin Hood story is pretty formulaic: rob from the rich and give to the poor, win the archery contest, free the girl, humiliate Prince John. However, Marian brings new dimension to these beats: When lady archer Alanna Dale (Jessica Angleskahn) discovers Robin’s (Becky Byers) true identity as Marian, the rogue invites the lady to stuff her hair under a hat, dress in men’s clothes, and join the Merry Men hiding out in Sherwood Forest… where she promptly falls in love with Will Scarlett (T. Thompson) somewhere between their first sparring and first sentry shift.

Alanna’s initiation into the Merry Men is the tipping point to reveal that most of the Merry Men aren’t actually men, and that there are more than a few arrow-crossed lovers in the ranks. Maid Marian’s capture later in the play is almost secondary to all of the romantic dramas and identity conflicts unfolding; even the guards have affairs! With all of these secretive trysts and constant donning and doffing of disguises, Marian is less Robin Hood retelling than medieval sex farce, with couples snatching brief tête-à-têtes, on constant alert for a guard or Prince John or another Merry Man to walk in on them.

Which is not to say that makeouts are the only action: Marian boasts a number of balletic fight scenes (choreographed by Rocío Mendez) that highlight the bulk or grace of the respective fighters. In addition to these personal touches, there are some truly creative choices with regard to perspective, especially one sequence that involves scaling the castle wall. And I gasped every time an arrow came out of nowhere—that little detail really made me feel as if I were in a Robin Hood adventure.

An amusing aspect that this version retains is the famous romance between Robin and Marian, made even more hilarious by the fact that this “power couple” can never actually be seen in the same room together. Now that’s the kind of Noises Off shenanigans it would have been great to see. Though it’s worth pointing out that the double-casting of Mike Mihm as both Friar Tuck and the Sheriff of Nottingham achieves some of that winking humor: Both are lovers to lady-in-waiting Shirley (Nandita Shenoy), though it’s clear that she’s more smitten with the good Friar. The latter’s pillow talk is one of the play’s surprisingly deep moments, as they discuss the relative sinfulness of greed when it’s not coveting someone else’s possessions but simply wanting better for your own life.

It’s the kind of existential dilemma that Marian could weigh in on, but strangely, we never find out the why behind this genderbending plot twist: Did Marian dream up the Robin Hood persona, or was it bequeathed upon her, à la the Dread Pirate Roberts? How does she account for feminine inconveniences such as her period or the need for hair upkeep? Surely the Merry Men would notice if there were soiled sanitary napkins piling up around camp every month, or extra hairpins and chest bindings lying around. Did she decide to lead a double life because of shortcomings in her life as Marian; if so, why live half of her time as a noblewoman courting Prince John’s affections? Access, most likely, though we only get to see the tail end of one heist that she’s masterminded.

Perhaps my favorite facet of Marian’s character is her reverse-psychology utilization of “feminine wiles”: Whenever Prince John starts getting too handsy, she starts sweetly talking about her period, which has him twisting in revulsion even before she’s gotten into the nitty-gritty. All she has to do is remind this germaphobe prince about the not-so-fun parts of her genitals, and he’s lost any boner. As Prince John, Kevin R. Free is an absolute delight. Yes, he embodies the bumbling ruler through campy sashays and ridiculous cooing to a fake carrier pigeon. But for every shrill order there’s the converse, as he shifts into menacing by dropping an octave and pulling himself up to his full height, reminding you—oh shit, this is the man in charge, we’re in trouble.

Our own lack of access to Marian is somewhat mollified by Alanna frequently stepping outside of the narrative to deliver a running commentary on the action—a framing device that I found at times charming (“I don’t know this yet”) and other times excessive (considering the frequency with which she interrupted the action). As we’ve just learned that Robin isn’t who we thought he was, taking another step away from the archetypal character naturally loses some of the intimacy I was craving. Yet at the same time, it’s wonderful to see that Marian is the rule rather than the exception, to meet other women who possess the same pluck and spine. But Alanna is no mere audience insert; as a(nother!) slyly genderbent take on the minstrel Alan-a-Dale, who pops up in many a classic Robin Hood tale, she ably fulfills the duties of her predecessor.

Further, Alanna’s perspective—bookending moments with “This is my [concerned/in love/etc.] face”—taps into one of the play’s central themes: the duality of self. Prince John allows no one but concubines access to him in his most private moments. Shirley has the same “define the relationship” conversation with both of her paramours, down to the word, but the inflection couldn’t be more different. Just as he hides his sensitivity with brashness, Will Scarlett has a very specific persona he wants the world to see, genitals be damned. Little John (played to perfect sweet dumbness by Jack Horton Gilbert) reconciles his crush on Marian with his love and loyalty for his best friend Robin. Alanna knows that the face she turns toward the world is not reflective of what’s going on inside her head.

It’s a credit to Szymkowicz that Marian isn’t the only character struggling with two selves, but Becky Byers embodies that push-and-pull with aplomb. I’ve seen her age ten years in a day (in Mac Rogers’ The Honeycomb Trilogy), so I was delighted by the perfect casting. Though her chipper Robin, dressed in all green, sometimes leans more Peter Pan, further consideration has made me realize that it’s just a new take on the famous Robin Hood aloofness that makes him so inspiring but also so frustrating. Even when he’s giving so much in terms of riches, he gives away little of himself. Unfortunately, Marian is drawn less clearly; she invokes the same cheery deflection with Prince John, but we know little of her private self… except for one telling line, in a moment of somber self-analysis: “Some of us have to have less so all of us can have more.”

What Marian lacks in nuance, she makes up for as Robin Hood the figurehead, granting permission to everyone else to express their truest desires. The casting of mostly female and trans actors in the Merry Men brings to mind Jaclyn Backhaus’ Men On Boats, but in this case, the play explicitly addresses the queering of traditional notions of gender. The most touching example is that of Much the Miller’s Son (C. Bain), who confesses to the rest of the Merry Men that they don’t feel much like a man—or a woman, for that matter. They request that the name of the group be adjusted to account for not just cisgender men or women in drag (though, hilariously, no one actually knows about the women in their midst), and though no one actually understands why Much made this request, they don’t deny it. Bain’s part is small, but he imbues it with such gravity and earnestness that Much’s desires become intensely relatable.

With a 90-minute running time, Marian both moves too quickly in parts and drags in others, as the story seems designed to fit the timing instead of the other way around. We cover so much ground, with an ending that felt far too rushed in its attempts to both achieve closure but keep the myth going, that the overall effect of this particular story is lessened. In truth, Marian would make an amazing pilot of sorts, the first volume in an ongoing saga. I would love to see it live on as an ongoing series, like The Brick’s monthly soap opera It’s Getting Tired, Mildred or The Flea’s weekly #serials. That way, we could take on the role of Robin Hood’s audience night after night and week after week—right where he wants us.

Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood runs through Saturday, February 11 at the New Ohio Theatre. Click here to purchase a Living Ticket!