Merry Me

Northampton, MA - The Smith College Department of Theatre presents Merry Me by Hansol Jung on February 25, 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 pm in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, directed by Lynne Marie Rosenberg. When a mysterious blackout leaves a navy stranded near enemy territory, the libidinous Lieutenant Shane Horne puts her very specific talents to use, including with the general’s wife. Meanwhile, a famed Angel sends the Navy’s psychiatrist on an epic quest to save humanity. Merry Me is a madcap and mischievous mashup of ancient mythology and restoration comedy—and an ode to female pleasure. Tickets $5-15 at smitharts.ludus.com. Free for Smith students.

Merry Me was born out of playwright Hansol Jung’s long-time collaboration with director Leigh Silverman who pitched the idea of a lesbian sex comedy. Jung ran with the idea, drawing on the work of Euripides, The Country Wife by William Wycerley, and iconic queer artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. The resulting play premiered off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on October 11, 2023, directed by Silverman. Time Out NY gushed “The laughs… come nearly non-stop, with help from madcap performances, silly props and loads upon loads of sex… Despite all these blasts from the past – the works of Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf also make appearances – Merry Me lives very much in the present.” Hansol Jung is a playwright and director from South Korea. Her work—Cardboard Piano, Among the Dead, Nor More Sad Things, and Wolf Play—has been performed at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Ma-Yi, Sideshow Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre, LaJolla Theatre, and The Public Theatre.

Guest Artist Lynne Marie Rosenberg directs the Smith production. “On its surface, Merry Me is a raucous farce that clips at a mile a minute, and our production certainly captures that: there are sight gags, there are lambasted literary tropes, there are puppets having sex,” she shares, “but underneath the play's comedic surface lies a deeply earnest, thoughtful core.”  Rosenberg believes the play is especially well suited to Smith theatre-makers and audiences. “To have a brilliant cast of Smith women and nonbinary folks inhabit these roles highlights the play's commentary of gender and sexuality, and adds to the nuance and complexity of the characters.” Rosenberg is a 3-time Emmy-nominated, Webby-honored series creator, visual artist, performer, researcher, educator, and writer based in both New York City and the MetroWest Boston area. 

Merry Me is set in a military encampment between the sea and the mountains “in the Year of an Ongoing War.”  The power is out, fighting is paused, and the troops are getting punchy and letting off steam. The cast of 7 portray General Memnon and his wife Clytemnestra, their son Pvt. Willy Memnon and his wife Sapph, the camp Lothario Lt. Shane Horne, and her therapist Dr. Jess O’Nope who is visited by an Angel. Some people get lucky and some get left behind, but there is a happy ending for all. Set Designer Gabriella Rosenberg ’27 has created a cross between a military base in an endless war and a campsite removed from time. Rex Tans ’25 returns to Smith to design the costumes, with faculty Lighting Designer Lara Dubin, and sound design by Emma McRedmond ’26. The puppets who bring to life the sexier scenes were created by Franny Brady ’27. The result is what the New York Theatre Guide called “Joyous… an entertaining, energizing and unmissable queer comedy.”  Audiences should know that the play contains graphic sexual language and content and is suitable for people 16+. Full content details and tickets ($5-15) at smitharts.ludus.com.