Review: MERRY ME at Diversionary Theatre is a Sexy, Sparkly Farce filled with Angelic Chaos

If you like your theatre smart, sexy, and a little bit sacrilegious, then “Merry Me” is the genre-bending farce for you! Written by Hansol Jung, this fast-paced and sparkling comedy is full of divine pleasure, military mischief, and pop culture references, and is running at Diversionary Theatre through June 15th.

The plot is a mix of Greek tragedy, queer rom-com, and zany antics as everything unfolds. The show opens with an Angel (Michael Amira Temple) setting the scene, and then adds running commentary, while handing out tasks to characters whether they want them or not, as angels are wont to do. 

Lieutenant Shane Horne (Winnie Beasley) has a gift: she helps women find their “merry.” Unfortunately, the last woman she “merried” was the general’s wife, so now she’s been tossed in the brig. Shane’s therapist and friend, the frazzled but faithful Dr. Jess O’Nope (Andréa  Agosto), agrees to pretend that she’s successfully turned Shane straight so Shane can be released. 

This is all set on an unnamed military island run by General Aga Memnon (Troy Tinker-Elliott), with his wife Clymenestra (Jacquelyn Ritz), who is anxious to run into Shane again.  Their son, Willy (Coleman Ray Clark), is a Private who reports directly to Shane but is understandably wary of letting his wife, Sappho (Mak Shealy), meet her. The island is cursed to have no electricity or connection to the outside world, including Memnon’s war, until the curse is lifted.  Which can only be done by Agosto’s Doctor, through an angelically decreed act, most recently inspired by “Avengers: Endgame.”

Temple as the Angel is, frankly, divine. Whether spinning tracks from a glittering DJ booth or casually assigning morally fraught missions, Temple is mischievous, majestic, and marvelously funny.

Cast highlights include Beasley as the lady pleaser Shane, with a sweet swagger, Mak Shealy as the sexually frustrated Sappho who finds herself drawn to Shane, and Clark as the goofy and very understanding himbo, Pvt. Willy Memnon. Agosto is excellent as the conflicted therapist, who finds herself having an existential crisis when tasked with ending this curse.

There are interweaving plots, axes to grind, and curses to lift. If the play occasionally threatens to collapse under the weight of everything, Vanessa Stalling’s sharp direction keeps the energy snappy. It’s a delicate balance of letting the physical comedy and escalating absurdity land without losing the emotional threads of longing, identity, agency, and the overall wacky ways love can appear in your life. 

Scenic Designer Mathys Herbert’s playful set, complete with farcical doors for surprise pop-ins, is beautifully lit by lighting designer Annelise Salazar’s sculptural, snappy lighting. The sound design by Padra Crisafulli keeps everything pulsing, whether it’s a sexy soundtrack cue or a perfectly timed foley punchline. Costume Design by Claire Peterson effectively establishes the characters, with the highlight being Temple’s fabulous white jumpsuit featuring bedazzled wing appliqués, sparkling platform boots, and a glorious pair of full-blown wings.  Kudos to stage manager Shannon Humiston for keeping this chaotic universe in balance.

“Merry Me” may be a bit overstuffed, but it’s also overjoyed, oversexed, and over-the-top in the best possible way.

How To Get Tickets

“Merry Me” plays at Diversionary Theatre through June 15th.  For ticket and show time information, go to www.diversionary.org

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