Brittany Batell and Jen Pan in Athena at Theatre Nova July 17–Aug. 9 | Sean Carter
One of my favorite things about Theatre Nova is that it will never shy away from an unconventional story. Its latest production, Gracie Gardner’s Athena, is just that: a coming-of-age fencing dramedy that debuted to rapturous reviews off-off-Broadway in 2018.
Directed by Shelby Seeley, whose program bio says she specializes in “violently tender, ferally-feminine theatre,” this one-act tells the story of seventeen-year-old épée fencers Athena (Jen Pan) and Mary Wallace (Brittany Batell). After defeating Mary Wallace (the character’s full first name) in a tournament, Athena is impressed with her skill and insists they train together for the upcoming semifinals. Their lives are otherwise very different: Athena resides in Manhattan with a distant single father; Mary Wallace, with her close-knit family in suburban Teaneck, New Jersey. Over the following months, an intense, competitive friendship develops between the two. (Amanda Buchalter appears late in the play as Jamie, another competitor.)
Despite the title, Mary Wallace is the true protagonist of Athena. An aspiring marine biologist, she’s as tightly wound as her French braid. It would be easy for such a character to be flattened into a snooty high achiever, but Batell’s vulnerable, wide-eyed performance lets her develop into something more complex: naive, clever, romantic, passionate, silly. Meanwhile, Pan’s Athena, with her dip-dyed ponytail and punk-rock undercut hairstyle, is insecure and aggrieved. She fights dirty and talks dirtier. Pan is affecting and very funny, but Athena’s dialogue suggests explosiveness and volatility that I didn’t see in Pan’s performance.
Seeley’s direction is at its best when her actresses are given something physical to do, whether sparring in the fencing gym or dancing in a nightclub. Pan is cofounder of the Ypsi stage combat troupe Theatrica Gladiatoria—Batell and Buchalter trained there—and you believe these characters are ambitious and talented fencers.
I did not, however, believe that they were seventeen years old. Much of this is due to Gardner’s exceedingly chatty script that renders these high school juniors implausibly worldly, articulate, and self-aware. The dialogue has a precocious, how-do-you-do-fellow-kids quality, as though written by an adult who doesn’t interact much with teenagers nowadays, but is pretty sure they love discussing postmodernism, Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, and the feminist bona fides of Game of Thrones.
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The action takes place on a narrow set (by Amanda Bates) made to resemble a fencing piste, with risers on either side. (There is no room even for audience bathroom breaks; if anyone had to leave, warned an usher beforehand, the show would need to pause.) This works great for dynamic sequences, but when the performers are static, it becomes more challenging—especially for audience members in higher rows. My view was blocked no fewer than a dozen times by the wooden support beam in front of my seat; during the handful of scenes when characters are sitting on the floor, I couldn’t see the action at all.
The costume and lighting design (by Michaella Victoria and Jade Guerriero, respectively) is simple and beautiful, rendered in synthwave colors—Athena is associated with hot pink; Mary Wallace, electric blue. You don’t need to know anything about fencing to follow the sparring scenes, with the necessary information conveyed through flashes of color and gentle audio cues (Kennikki Jones-Jones has a knack for designing subtle, believable soundscapes).
Athena becomes something truly special when it stops talking, gives itself room to breathe, and allows these likable characters to do what they do best: fight each other with swords. The fencing sequences, choreographed by Joe Wright, are fabulously engaging; I could have used twice as many. Far and away the most riveting scene—on its own worth the ticket price—is the “final battle” between Athena and Mary Wallace, which held the audience rapt until we finally burst into cheers.
People were abuzz with happy energy as we filed out of the theater, which is probably the best review a play like this can earn. The story of a female friendship told through combat sports is a fascinating hook, and Athena is a worthy addition to Theatre Nova’s lineup.