The actors tend to talk over each other frequently and this, while realistic in terms of a dinner party, is not an effective theatrical device. The method of delivering the message also serves to undermine it. Marlene has given up one child and has aborted two pregnancies in her singular drive for success and it is hard to see that she would still do this almost 40 years later. In many respects, while the gender pay gap is if anything getting worse, we have. The language and behaviour of the characters mean that one could be forgiven for thinking that we really have moved on. However, in many respects this does seem a period piece, even beyond the shoulder pads and power poses, and loses a lot of its power as a result. Each time the response will undoubtedly be that many of the same issues of sexual politics remain – it is a man’s world when it comes to employment. Top Girls has understandably had a number of revivals over the years. When Marlene’s past, in the form of the daughter Angie (who she secretly gave up to her sister) confronts her, she is forced to address and justify her choices. Through accounts of how Marlene was able to succeed over her hapless colleague Harold, and vignettes of interviews at the recruitment agency – where girls are advised to not mention their desire to marry, wish to escape dead end jobs or feel forced to lie about their age and experience – we learn about the sacrifices still being made. Thatcher’s Britain and the nature of our male dominated society. This play was first performed in 1982 and was both a comment on Mrs. Do these stories tell us anything about what Marlene has had to do to achieve her success? Do they highlight the fact that the plight of the modern woman is actually a centuries old issue? As the evening wears on, and more and more drink is taken, these characters disclose the key details of their lives and the sacrifices that they made. Pope Joan (the only female Pope), Isabella Bird (a Victorian traveller), Lady Nijo (a 13th century Japanese concubine), Dull Gret (the subject of a painting by Brueghel) and Patient Griselda (a character from the Canterbury Tales) are not household names. However, the choices of Caryl Churchill’s heroine Marlene, who is hosting a dinner to celebrate becoming the managing director of the Top Girls recruitment agency in 1981, are anything but obvious. If you could sit next to any great figures from history at a dinner party who would they be? This was a standard question on a graduate application form for many years and the answers tended to be very predictable – Winston Churchill, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, etc.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |