What happens when you’ve had enough? You’re at the end of your rope and you just can’t take another bad thing happening in your life? Do you cry, scream, or both? Or do you try to set the grocery store you were just fired from on fire, like Beth. There is Violence and There is Righteous Violence and There is Death Or, The Born Again Crow, written by Caleigh Crow and directed by Jessica Carmichael, is a powerhouse play full of magic, mayhem, and many crows.

Beth has returned home to the suburbs to live with her mom and no, she does not want to talk about what happened. Her mother, Francine, creates a little oasis for Beth in their backyard, including several bird feeders. Francine hopes that the responsibility will be helpful for Beth, and it certainly is as more and more birds, including a huge flock of crows, begin to rely on Beth for their food. One of the crows can talk, well it can talk to Beth, and it begins to leave her little gifts as it comes for its meals. As Beth reunites with old flames, and begins to draw attention with the local media, the inciting incident which caused her to move home becomes more difficult to avoid and she’s suddenly thrust into the public eye yet again. Culminating in scenes of chaos and glorious vengeance, The Born Again Crow shows the true power of feminine rage.

Caleigh Crow’s script taps into an ever-emerging aspect of the zeitgeist: anger. Beth is rightfully angry with her boss: she’s taken on more work for the same pay, and the wage she’s being given doesn’t even come close to being enough to live off of. Yet when she asks for a mere one dollar per hour more, she’s refused, and offered fifty cents instead. This situation is far from unique; society’s expectation that if you don’t make enough money one can simply “get another job” is baffling, and The Born Again Crow makes the absurdity of this situation all the more pointed with its surreal flashback scene. However, unlike so many of us, Beth acts on her anger and the injustices she faces and takes it all out on the Superstore. What’s more, her boss makes derogatory statements towards her, each one getting worse: it begins with a simple “you should smile more” and “maybe if you wore some makeup” (both of which are heinous enough on their own) and then it escalates to slurs against her Indigenous heritage and her sexuality. Gasping at his final comments, it suddenly does not become all that difficult to understand why Beth decides to burn it all to the ground.

Tara Sky is a ferocious force as Beth. They give us all of the highs and lows of life with the tenacity of a fed-up female; their performance is utterly captivating. Only leaving the stage once after their initial entrance, we truly see this story through Beth’s eyes, and Sky deftly guides the audience on that journey. Madison Walsh plays opposite Sky as Crow. Walsh brings a mischievous vivacity to Crow; there’s a perpetual twinkle in her eye and spring in her step that you simply can’t take your eyes off of. Cheri Maracle’s Francine is equally as complicated as her daughter, and Maracle plays her beautifully. Her initial fear of Beth eventually changing to compassion, then hurt, and then finally understanding is a highly emotional experience. Rounding out the cast is Dan Mousseau as Tanner (and others). Mousseau shows all sides of Tanner’s personality, from the sweet to the very sour. The sassy reporter Jane, who he also plays, is an eye-rollingly perfect portrayal of modern media. You can feel the passion and respect the cast has for The Born Again Crow, it shines through every minute of this production.

There is Violence and There is Righteous Violence and There is Death Or, The Born Again Crow is punk, pure and simple. From the aesthetics of the crows to Beth’s music choices to the actions she takes against her former employer, this is a show about fearless punk badassery that is more needed now than ever. With more people every day falling prey to the systems in place, and more systems being put in place to put more people down, The Born Again Crow is a reminder that sometimes to get what we want, we need to get angry about it.

There is Violence and There is Righteous Violence and There is Death Or, The Born Again Crow runs in the Chamber Space at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre until March 29. For more information and tickets, visit: https://buddiesinbadtimes.com/show/there-is-violence/

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Cover Photo: Photo of Madison Walsh and Tara Sky by Jeremy Mimnagh. Set design by Shannon Lea Doyle, costume design by Asa Benally, lighting design by Hailey Verbonac.

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