Review of Babes With Blades' 180 Degree Rule

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called 180 Degree Rule. It was by M.E.H. Lewis and Barbara Lhota and it was directed by Rachel Edwards Harvith. It was about this woman named Ruth Alice Bennett (Amy E. Harmon) and she was a female film director in the 30s and 40s. And she was in love with an actress named Margot Faber (Lisa Herceg) and it was about how they had to hide their relationship from everyone except their closest friends. There is also a woman who teaches about the movies named Katie Dunham (Kate Black-Spence) and she is trying to find out about Ruth's death as part of her research. This show was about love, trust, and prejudice in Hollywood. I thought this was a moving, fun, and beautiful show. I really loved the story. I had never seen a play about women directors in Hollywood and I thought it was a really powerful story. I would like to see more plays on this subject in the future.

One of my favorite scenes was when Margot and Ruth first meet and you can just see the spark between them when Ruth walks into the room. Ruth is working on backdrops and Margot is an actress in the movie. The director (Tommy Bullington) seems to disapprove of Ruth because she thinks it's ok to offer advice about directing to a famous director. She says there should be more longing in Margot and Gilbert Bailey's (Jason Andrew Narvy) lines in the scene. Then Margot and Ruth have their first kiss very unexpectedly and very suddenly. It shows that their relationship has been produced by movies and will always be connected to movies but then they continue to love each other off screen too. I feel like it is the start to a beautiful relationship and you can see it in their very first scene together. But then you can also see that it is not going to be easy all the time because they are both so committed to the movies that they don't want to reveal that they are lesbians to the public because both their careers could be ruined. I think it is very sad that they have to choose between the art that they love and the person that they love.

I thought that it was a great idea to have the character of Katie Dunham be such a big part of the show because she gives the perspective of an outsider looking in. But then she turns out to be a super big part of the story. You think she is an outsider but she turns out to have a lot of insight on all the characters' lives. One of my favorite parts is how she bribed the people she was talking to with their favorite food and drinks. It was funny how she knew exactly what they wanted and how they were willing to tell secrets they promised they would never tell for pie, which sadly sounds a little like me. I just found that absolutely hilarious, but at the same time it shows you how Katie really cares about finding out the truth because she did all this research on Ruth Alice Bennett and her friends, even what they liked to eat and drink.

I thought that the fights (violence design by Libby Beyreis) were super cool. There was one head bang on a table that looked completely real. I was a little afraid the actor actually got hurt! There was also another fight with Nazis that had a great story behind it and also was a great fight to watch. Those are my favorite kinds of fights, where it is not just about the hitting and the punching; it is also about having a good story to go along with it. I thought all the fights in the show were amazing, but I wasn't surprised because every single time that part of Babes with Blades shows blows me away!

People who would like this show are people who like awesome fights, sad but beautiful love stories, and pie. I think that people should definitely go see this show. I loved the story and the fights and everything about it. It is my favorite show at Babes with Blades since Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates!


Photos: Johnny Knight