Reviewed by Paul Treasure
Widely, and justifiably, considered one of the greatest plays of the Twentieth Century, Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls is a very challenging piece of theatre, both in its themes and in its structure, and is one that should not be attempted lightly. I am very happy to report that Virginia Moore Price’s current production for GRADS rises to the challenge and gives us a thrilling and captivating evening of theatre.
The play has three distinct acts, different not only in time and location but also in style. The opening act is set in a Chinese restaurant, as the main character, Marlene, celebrates a new promotion at work with her friends. Her friends in this case being a number of women drawn from myth, history, and art, who discuss the lengths they have had to go to, as women, to achieve success in the world. Famously, this act involves a lot of rapid-fire dialogue and interjections spoken over long monologues. Frequently having three or four characters speaking over the top of each other. This technique can be a little oppressive and confusing, but deliberately so to give us a sense and a feeling that this is one huge mosaic. Done poorly, this act would be interminable and frustrating, but with Virginia Moore Price’s impeccable direction and the precision and dedication of the performers, this act never lets up its pace and powers through.
The second act, set in the Top Girls Employment Agency, is a long series of short scenes as the employees discuss the goings on in the office, especially as regards Marlene’s recent promotion over their co-worker Howard, and interview a series of women and discuss and judge their suitability to make it in today’s business world. This change of pace from the frenetic first act to a more revue-like acting style is very interesting and also exquisitely handled. It is also extremely interesting to note the tone Churchill sets as the play was written in the early ‘80s and her criticism of Thatcherite politics and the way it was changing the very meaning and focus of British Feminism of the time.
The third act, set in Marlene’s sister’s lounge room involves yet another change of pace and style, and is, at its core, an extended two-person discussion. Eschewing the innate theatricality of the previous two acts, this is just two actors being real and raw and honest with each other and is one of the most gripping moments of theatre I have seen in a long while.
It cannot be overstated that this is a very difficult play to produce successfully, with its tonal shifts and changes in playing style. It would be very easy to have one of the acts shine, while the others pale in comparison, But Virginia Moore Price has managed to pull all the disparate elements together and has given us three parts of equal strength and commitment giving us a well-rounded and complete piece of theatre.
The costuming for the show was impeccable, ranging from the more fantastical requirements of the first act to both the corporate and everyday worlds of the early ‘80s. It is extremely tempting for us in our current era to take the more extreme examples of the fashion of the period and make it look laughable, but costumer Merri Ford has shown great restraint and given us iconic but still realistic costumes, that helped delineate the characters perfectly, and rooted the later parts of the play in a very real early ‘80s.
Requiring, as it does, three totally different settings, the set is one of the most clever and imaginative I have seen on a community theatre stage for some time. Most impressive was its use of onstage lighting to cement the mood of each of the various acts. The opening act in the restaurant featured a beautiful and festive chandelier-like collection of Chinese lanterns which added to the festive air of the action. The walls were painted very dark, with a rich red outline of various Chinese motifs, such as a huge Chinese dragon. The entire effect was one of elegance and opulence. The second act, set in the office, was dominated by a series of fluorescent lights that started straight at the front and deteriorated into an almost random configuration at the back, giving the entire effect a slightly dystopian feel, leaning into Churchill’s criticism of the encroaching Thatcherite corporatism that is a feature of this act. The final act, in the lounge room, featured little more than a dining table and a couple of chairs, with a period-perfect browny-orange pendant light suspended above, giving that set a warm and homely feeling. This clever use of onstage lighting greatly enhanced what is already an impressive production.
The cast, as a whole, were very impressive, handling the various changes of style with grace and aplomb. Their commitment to the challenges of this play was obvious and they are all to be commended for achieving a level of ensemble performance that is not often seen on community theatre stages. There are, however, a few of the performers that really need to be singled out.
In the extremely challenging role of Marlene, Solonje Burns has cemented her reputation as one of the most exciting actresses currently gracing our stages. Her role goes from the heroine of the first act to the revelation of her flaws in the final act. Solonje manages to power through all the changes in our perspective of Marlene with unflinching honesty. This is an incredibly brave portrayal and at no point do we ever get a sense that she is stepping back from the edge and giving us less than her all. Great theatre challenges us, and Solonje's Marlene stares us in the face and unblinkingly shows us everything. We have come to expect great performances from Solonje, but her Marlene may have taken her even further than before.
Likewise, Suzannah Churchman is an actress who is always a pleasure to watch. Her Isabella Bird in the first act grounds the entire scene, but it is as Marlene’s sister Joyce in the third act that she really comes into her own. The majority of the third act is between Marlene and Joyce, and the brutal honesty that they both achieve is electrifying to watch. In a play full of great performances, Suzannah’s delivery of her character's final dismissal of her sister is utterly devastating, and one of the best line deliveries in the entire show.
Of the smaller characters, Amanda Langton is to be greatly commended, especially for her brief cameo in the second act. Rarely has a single facial expression had such a lasting impact, and managed to underpin one of the main themes of a show. I hope we get to see more of Amanda in the future. Emilia Lawonski, making her community theatre debut as Angie, gave a heart-breakingly real performance. A difficult role to play without straying into patronising cliché, she managed to keep it on this side of the line and managed to hold her own in her scenes with Solonje and Suzannah, no mean feat for an experienced performer, let alone someone making their debut. In the comic relief first-act role of Dull Gret, Jenny Howard is hilarious. This is a deceptive role that at first glance requires little more than the odd interjection in the already confused proceedings, but actually requires a great deal of discipline and commitment to really pull off successfully. Then in her brief role as Mrs Kidd in the second act, Jenny is mesmerizing. In this brief scene, Jenny manages cold disapproval and seething under the surface rage as a woman basically demanding that her husband’s needs and wants go beyond that of any woman, and reminding us that sometimes it is women themselves who are complicit in preventing other women moving forward.
It is fantastic to see that directors in the community theatre scene are willing to tackle notoriously challenging plays. Virginia Moore Price has done an astounding job bringing this complicated piece together and giving us a thoroughly professional and accomplished production. While this is definitely not a play for everyone, for anyone who likes theatre that provokes discussion and makes you think, this is a must-see. One of the greatest and most challenging plays of the twentieth century, brilliantly directed, cleverly set, and with performances that will simply astonish. What more could you ask for?
Reviewer Note: Tickets for this review were provided by the theatre company. The reviewer would also like to note the assistance and insights of Benjamin Small in the writing of this review.
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