Show Notes
Author’s Notes
For the never-to-be-performed live show (what became the Valentine’s trilogy), I needed someone from outside the circle to be delivering supplies to them, so I could set up that there was a second Zinnia out there. I have a couple of actors who are easy to get ahold of and can turn in quality voice recordings in a timely manner. Krissy is on that very short list. She’s crazy busy with her own team but still manages to squeeze me in.
It’s a little-to-nothing role, so I said just give me something fun. She came back with this Edie McClurg voice out of nowhere that so delighted me that I had to put her in. And that was that. Or so I thought.
When the time came to do the Mini Series, I started thinking about Mrs. Du Mer. How did she come to be in Massalia? When did she meet the Ladies? And what would make her an interesting lead? The concept I came up with and pitched to Krissy was: imagine Harley Quinn at 60 years old.
And Dolores is a rock star. She had just been a jilted Russian, she’s got a major role for us on the horizon, so I was sort of keeping her in reserve until that point. But the more Viviana developed, the more I knew I needed a seasoned pro to hold her own against Krissy. Luckily she was able to squeeze it in before she stepped up to the director’s chair for a theater group.
The recording session was one of the best I’ve ever been involved in. The rehearsal had the hairs on my arms standing up! Afterward, I realized I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters just yet. There’s more of their story yet to be told.
Oh, and the title? Of course, it’s from Moana. Lin-Manuel, the heir apparent to Howard Ashman in the Disney legacy. A heroine who chooses compassion instead of battle? That’s a very Swashbuckling ideal that we connect with.
What is The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society?
Welcome to the seaside city of Massalia, nestled in the south of France. It’s the dawn of the 20th century, but things aren’t looking bright. A group calling themselves The Six engineered a sinister cultural revolution and united Europe under one banner, all beholden to the Emperor. Saffron and Zinnia are a married lesbian couple doing their best to defend the people and fight evil wherever they find it, battling with swords, words, or whatever they can use. Opposed by villains like Lord Buxton Blue, Piker Pendulum, and The Red Rapscallion, the Ladies help where they can and seek to bring down this corrupt regime. The flame of hope is still burning bright in the Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society.