Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Emma Horwitz and Bailey Williams delight in their smart and very funny vaudevillian romp TWO SISTERS FIND A BOX …

• By drediman
• April 22, 2025
• No Comments

Last night at HERE, I had the opportunity to catch up with Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods by Bailey Williams and Emma Horwitz, who also star in the piece. Presented by Rattlestick Theater and New Georges as part of HERE’s invaluable Sublet Series, the elaborately titled work is a slippery one to pin down. For their show, Williams and Horwitz — partners both onstage and off — have put themselves in the middle of a dizzying lesbian fantastia that mashes reality and unhinged fantasy, culling from their research on lesbian erotica for the endeavor. I’m happy to report that the end product is both razor sharp and hugely entertaining — and completely delightful.

In essence, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods is both a loving homage to and a delirious parody of lesbian subculture. The piece harkens back to the kind of “anything goes” romps (the legendary queer production of Arias with a Twist, also at HERE, quickly comes to mind, as do of course the works of lesbian performance artists over at companies like Split Britches) that have formed the nexus of New York’s storied downtown theater scene. Williams and Horwitz have taken a maximalist approach, tapping into various genres — vaudeville, burlesque, theater of the absurd, science fiction, pulpy erotica (yes, invariably of the lesbian variety) — with utmost glee. As such, an irresistible sense of play pervades Tara Elliot’s fast-paced, deceptively haphazard production, which has the dynamic duo shapeshifting through time and space on a wild journey into uncharted territories of the imagination, in the process turning mountains of bland bank boxes into a mad funhouse.

As performers, Wiliams and Horwitz are each immensely likable, fiercely intelligent, yet endearingly self-effacing. Suffice to say, they’re nearly always a step ahead of the audience, and their chemistry throughout is nothing less than palpable. Although they’ve found budding individual success as playwrights in works such as Horwitz’s Mary Gets Hers (Playwrights Realm, 2023) and Williams’ Coach Coach (Summerworks, 2024), their collaboration here highlights the best of both their talents — namely, Horwitz’s playful antics and Williams’ keen sense of parody. Although it wears its sketch comedy look and feel proudly, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods has craft, wit, and theatricality to spare.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TWO SISTERS FIND A BOX OF LESBIAN EROTICA IN THE WOODS
Off-Broadway, Play
Rattlestick Theater & New Georges at HERE
1 hour, 9 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 3