Writers: Jemma Houghton and Rebecca Morris

Director: Daniel McClelland

Reviewer: Tracey Lowe

The Public Reviews Rating:

Most of the fairer sex will probably agree that it’s not particularly encouraging that the achievements of women are only widely recognised on one day of the year; International Women’s Day. So Jemma Houghton and Rebecca “Mozza” Morris decided to rally against this by making a piece celebrating all the wonders of the female persuasion.

Jemma and Mozza took the streets of Manchester, and asked for anonymous emails, on peoples’ experiences as a woman, and experiences of women. The ladies then take us on a journey through the various joys and pains of womanhood, such as relationships, body image and PMT, whilst embodying the characters of the people they spoke to.

For two performers to take us through a series of around twenty of so talking heads sections is a huge task, but Jemma and Mozza do a great job, using changes of costumes, wigs and an incredibly clever use of shoes. But all these things would be trivial if they weren’t such wonderful performers, which these ladies definitely are. Through many convincing accents and transformational physical performances, you sometimes forget there are only two people on stage.

The stories themselves are equally hilarious and moving, even more so when you remember that they are all true. The section of childbirth shows this very well, moving quickly from a great comedic performance of labour to an incredibly poignant story of a new mother’s first touch from her baby.

It can be a challenge to perform a piece solely on the merits and misfortunes of women without it becoming overtly feminist. But these girls are extremely likeable, to the point where it feels like you’re just having a chat with your mates. They don’t force their beliefs onto the audience; they merely share their feelings in a very entertaining way. This isn’t just a play for women. It should be seen by both genders, and by young and old, to gain an insight in what it is to be female.

Reviewed on 18th August 2012

 

Tags: Daniel McClelland, Drama, Feminism, Jemma Houghton, Joshua Brooks, LittleLegs and LongLegs, Manchester, Rebecca Morris, The Woman, Theatre