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Bad Axe
The story of a woman accused of murdering her husband at a military outpost in the Old West. Did hostile Indians force her to scalp him as revenge for his brutality, or did she kill him out of frustration with her plight as a soldiers wife?
- GenresPlays
Audio CD
First published March 15, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 21, 2020
I found my reaction to L.A. Theatreworks' production of P.J. Barry's Bad Axe to be a scattered, jumbled mess. So here goes:
didn’t like it
1. The Racism. There is no way around it, Bad Axe is seriously fucking racist. Indigenous Americans are at the "heart" of this tale, yet there isn't a single role in the cast for an Indigenous actor. There are four important Indigenous characters talked about throughout the dialogue, yet not one of those four characters is manifested on stage. Zero roles for Indigenous people. Why does that matter? Well, Indigenous people are used as an excuse for all manner of White violence, and unironically so. They become the target of retribution. Their war practices are put forth as blatant evils, as sicknesses that infect White folk, which implies the usual White superiority of the Western genre, all while muting any potential response from a people who are being thoroughly wronged from curtain to curtain.
2. Revenge. I'm just sick to death of revenge as a literary or cinematic motive. Sure there are moments over the years when I have enjoyed a good revenge tale, but I am worn down to a nub by this motivation -- probably because of the events of my actual life and my knowledge that revenge is an epic waste of energy -- and I would be happy to never read another story motivated by revenge as long as I live (that said ... I should re-read The Count of Monte Cristo ... and soon).
it was ok
3. Amy Irving as Mrs. Maryanne Conrad Bad Axe is Maryanne Conrad's story. Everything revolves around her: the murder of her husband, the tapestry of lies she weaves to gain her freedom, her relationship with Frances Osborne and what it tells us about Mrs. Conrad's once almost-happy family life. It is imperative, then, that the actor performing Mrs. Conrad be good. Amy Irving is good. Just. She provides the necessary stabilizing presence that allows other performances to shine. I can't help wondering, though, if a better than "good" performance would have made it easier to overlook what I didn't like about Bad Axe.
4. Mrs. Frances Osborne's Apple Pie. C'mon. I've tasted better.
liked it
5. The ending. If what happened is what I think happened, the end was no less than what Maryanne deserved.
really liked it
6. Lt. Hugh Romens' muddy ethics. There to question Maryanne about the incident at Bad Axe, Lt. Romens has a job to do, and he does it well. He follows his ethical code -- which is steeped in duty, honour and military justice -- disdains lies (when they are told to him) and is willing to trick the subject of his inquiry in dirty ways if it will move the investigation in the direction he wants it to move. He reveals some complexity that the other characters don't share. Plus, I bet his costume would be the most fun to wear.
it was amazing
7. Harry Hamlin's performance. I have never been a fan of Harry Hamlin. I've always found his bland good looks and bland acting to be ... well ... bland. Like a boiled, unseasoned chicken breast. But his performance -- from what I could hear in this audiobook version of Bad Axe -- was a spicy, Blackened Cajun Salmon. Hamlin's Sgt. Joe Quigley sounded like a hairy old veteran of the post-Civil War USA. I could hear his voice filtering through a bacon grease soaked handlebar moustache; I could hear the cigars and moonshine roughing up his vocal cords; I could hear the smell of his once-a-week bath regimen; I could hear the depth of his old west wisdom in every sarcastic growl; and I loved it all. If Harry Hamlin had become the character actor this performance suggests he was meant to be rather than the bland lead of the blandest lawyer show of the '80s, he'd still be a star today. Perhaps Tarantino should consider casting him for his final movie. I bet that collaboration would be magnificent.
didn’t like it
1. The Racism. There is no way around it, Bad Axe is seriously fucking racist. Indigenous Americans are at the "heart" of this tale, yet there isn't a single role in the cast for an Indigenous actor. There are four important Indigenous characters talked about throughout the dialogue, yet not one of those four characters is manifested on stage. Zero roles for Indigenous people. Why does that matter? Well, Indigenous people are used as an excuse for all manner of White violence, and unironically so. They become the target of retribution. Their war practices are put forth as blatant evils, as sicknesses that infect White folk, which implies the usual White superiority of the Western genre, all while muting any potential response from a people who are being thoroughly wronged from curtain to curtain.
2. Revenge. I'm just sick to death of revenge as a literary or cinematic motive. Sure there are moments over the years when I have enjoyed a good revenge tale, but I am worn down to a nub by this motivation -- probably because of the events of my actual life and my knowledge that revenge is an epic waste of energy -- and I would be happy to never read another story motivated by revenge as long as I live (that said ... I should re-read The Count of Monte Cristo ... and soon).
it was ok
3. Amy Irving as Mrs. Maryanne Conrad Bad Axe is Maryanne Conrad's story. Everything revolves around her: the murder of her husband, the tapestry of lies she weaves to gain her freedom, her relationship with Frances Osborne and what it tells us about Mrs. Conrad's once almost-happy family life. It is imperative, then, that the actor performing Mrs. Conrad be good. Amy Irving is good. Just. She provides the necessary stabilizing presence that allows other performances to shine. I can't help wondering, though, if a better than "good" performance would have made it easier to overlook what I didn't like about Bad Axe.
4. Mrs. Frances Osborne's Apple Pie. C'mon. I've tasted better.
liked it
5. The ending. If what happened is what I think happened, the end was no less than what Maryanne deserved.
really liked it
6. Lt. Hugh Romens' muddy ethics. There to question Maryanne about the incident at Bad Axe, Lt. Romens has a job to do, and he does it well. He follows his ethical code -- which is steeped in duty, honour and military justice -- disdains lies (when they are told to him) and is willing to trick the subject of his inquiry in dirty ways if it will move the investigation in the direction he wants it to move. He reveals some complexity that the other characters don't share. Plus, I bet his costume would be the most fun to wear.
it was amazing
7. Harry Hamlin's performance. I have never been a fan of Harry Hamlin. I've always found his bland good looks and bland acting to be ... well ... bland. Like a boiled, unseasoned chicken breast. But his performance -- from what I could hear in this audiobook version of Bad Axe -- was a spicy, Blackened Cajun Salmon. Hamlin's Sgt. Joe Quigley sounded like a hairy old veteran of the post-Civil War USA. I could hear his voice filtering through a bacon grease soaked handlebar moustache; I could hear the cigars and moonshine roughing up his vocal cords; I could hear the smell of his once-a-week bath regimen; I could hear the depth of his old west wisdom in every sarcastic growl; and I loved it all. If Harry Hamlin had become the character actor this performance suggests he was meant to be rather than the bland lead of the blandest lawyer show of the '80s, he'd still be a star today. Perhaps Tarantino should consider casting him for his final movie. I bet that collaboration would be magnificent.
March 23, 2020
Pulpy and entertaining, but not in terms of representation. Native Americans are on the periphery of this entire story, but they are rendered voiceless. Some fun characters and good storytelling but it basically repeats racist tropes in order to tell a story of trauma violence in a white marriage.
January 22, 2022
A gripping audio recording that kept me hooked. Great dialogue and plotting. A full star off for outdated Native American stereotypes; surprised to see this was performed in 2012. But thanks to the acting, I was hooked and needed to know what happened next.
November 1, 2016
A well performed play by P.J. Barry.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews