College Avenue Players continue to kill it with 'She Kills Monsters'

The College Avenue Players (CAP) rounded off the Spring 2024 semester with a medieval-themed rendition of their annual sketch show, "Wacky Hijinks." So, naturally, as the Fall 2024 semester comes to a close, the troupe chose to wrap things up with some more magic, this time coming from their version of the dramedy, "She Kills Monsters."

Penned by Qui Nguyen, the play takes audiences to the far away land of Athens, Ohio, where they meet Agnes Evans (School of Arts and Sciences first-year Mya Espinal), a high school teacher grieving the sudden loss of her estranged sister, Tilly (School of Environmental and Biological Sciences first-year Edith Zhao). In an effort to find closure, the relatively average Agnes decides to partake in her sister's nerdy hobbies, namely, a "Dungeons & Dragons" module that she created.

As Agnes immerses herself deeper into the game, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, with everything and everyone in "New Landia" reflecting and revealing aspects of Tilly's real life. As Agnes quickly begins to learn, Tilly was much more than the geeky younger sibling she believed her to be.

Beneath all the monsters, elves, gelatinous cubes and other high-concept elements, "She Kills Monsters" is ultimately a thoughtful exploration of what it takes to move on and forgive oneself.

Though these are lofty themes for the typically lighthearted collective, under the direction of School of Arts and Sciences senior Aniya Naughton, the ensemble balances moments that evoke both laughter and tears. Moving away from their usual sketch format, the traditional two-act play structure allows the occupants of Scott Hall 135, located on the College Avenue campus, to take the audience on a journey and engage in a full spectrum of emotions.

Beyond the pop culture references that audience members are sure to recognize, what makes "She Kills Monsters" so engaging is how it weaves together its two storylines. One follows Agnes as she navigates her future with her noncommittal boyfriend, Miles (School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Jamie Aulisi), while the other explores her journey of learning more about her sister, particularly in terms of her sexuality and social standing.

The most time-consuming plotline involved Agnes embarking on a mission to retrieve the lost soul of Tilly's in-game counterpart, "Tillius the Paladin." The pair is joined by a band of misfits: the TV-obsessed demon Orcus (School of Arts and Sciences first-year Michael Yuan), the flirtatious demon queen Lilith Morningstar (School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Sanjna Sharma) and the stoic dark elf Kaliope Darkwalker (School of Arts and Sciences first-year Grace Mombo).

While this section of the play allows the troupe to fully embrace the theme — casting spells, engaging in surprisingly well-choreographed sword fights and even a dance battle — it ultimately isn't as engaging as the other subplot. Many of these issues stem from the original script: the characters are often too harsh toward Agnes and the adventure feels convoluted and inconsequential. But, the CAP performers manage to patch up most of the flaws through their chemistry. Even if the audience loses track of the world's rules or how the campaign is progressing, Yuan's antics in particular make for worthwhile detours.

Ironically, in a play so centered around imagination and creativity, the more mundane moments stood out the most. These moments largely take place in the real world, where Agnes turns to her feisty best friend and coworker, Vera (School of Arts and Sciences junior Killie Hou) and Tilly's excitable friend, Chuck (School of Arts and Sciences junior Cedric Gillo), who serves as the Dungeon Master, for help.

As exciting as the fantastical characters were, the slower-paced, less exposition-heavy scenes provided a welcome contrast. Combined with the strong performances of Aulisi, Hou and Gillo — each of whom had a well-developed dynamic with Espinal and her character — these moments consistently delivered laughs when the roleplaying scenes became too overwhelming.

This section also made full use of the production's static, yet striking, hand-painted backdrop, featuring a row of vibrant orange lockers adorned with quirky memorabilia. It effectively established the high school setting while reminding the mostly college-aged audience that they, too, had once been awkward, insecure teenagers.

By the time the voyage had concluded and the great mage Steve (School of Environmental and Biological Sciences sophomore Jared Santana) had endured another slapstick demise, the CAP's production of "She Kills Monsters" had overcome the flaws of the original script, culminating in a heart-wrenching tale of sisterhood. It's through the continued chemistry of the ensemble, even with all its new faces, that they continue to bring an infectious energy and side-splitting humor to the Rutgers student body.