I’m ashamed to admit that before last night, I had never stepped foot into Transylvania’s Lucille Little Theater. Upon my inaugural entrance, I was greeted by a lovely crew of student workers and ushered to my seat towards the front of the spacious black box theater. Soon, a hush took over the music of Chappell Roan and the house lights dwindled as the cast took their places on the stage platform adorning a candle-lit Victorian Gothic dwelling.
This fall, the Transylvania Theater Program presents The Moors by Jen Silverman, directed by theater program director Tosha Fowler. The 19th-century pastiche follows the lives of polar opposite sisters Agatha and Huldey, played by Sophia Ricketts ‘25 and Lily Jasper ‘27 respectively. As they attempt to make sense of their shaken-up lives in the barren, unforgiving moors of England, the arrival of Emilie, the governess (played by Mary Clark ‘25), completely shifts the rigid order of their household. Marjory, the maid, brought to us by Samantha Farr ‘26, takes this opportunity to orchestrate some trickery of her own. Meanwhile, the family’s dog, a large Mastiff played by Kiah Oney ‘27, can’t find what he’s looking for in the home and frequently visits with a Moor-Hen (Macie Moore ‘26) that he takes an obsessive liking to.
The dark comedy presents the audience with endless laughs, as well as some enchanting vocal performances from Jasper and Clark. However charming these moments may have been, though, they were subtly tainted by a haunting air that kept me on the edge of my seat. From the moment the show begins, it’s clear that something isn’t quite right, and the surreal nature of The Moors lasts until the final moment of the show. The cast does a phenomenal job balancing humor and horror as they present the audience with hard-hitting questions about growth, identity, romance, sexuality, femininity, and much more.
Don’t make the same mistake as me and miss out on another Transy Theater production. You can, and should, watch The Moors in Lucille Little Theater tomorrow at 7:30 pm or catch the Sunday show at 5:00 pm. Note the content warnings for violence, blood and gore, sexual content, strobe lights and fog, and a splash warning for those in the first two rows.
Preview video of “The Moors” by Katie Axon
