Tag Archives: Stacey Cullen

SCENES WITH GIRLS

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Golden Goose Theatre

SCENES WITH GIRLS

Golden Goose Theatre

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β€œthis production pulls on every bit of substance and brightness that it can”

Female friendship. It’s a bit of a media minefield, if we’re honest β€” full of portrayals of women betraying one another, being pitted against each other, or some combination thereof. Then there are the bubblegum and candy-floss versions that aim to act as though women never fall victim to the societal conditioning that causes them to view each other as competition. Miriam Battye’s Scenes with Girls aims to walk the tightrope between these worlds, showing us women who are trying, ostensibly, to fight the conditioning that tells them they need men in their lives, that it’s acceptable to abandon your friendships when a boy comes along offering you not just attention, but sex as well. It’s a shame then, that the text never really manages to make us believe in the relationships that we’re observing.

Originally premiering at the Royal Court in 2020, Scenes with Girls follows Lou and Tosh, two best friends who are determined to buck what they refer to as β€œthe narrative” β€” effectively, the idea that they are meant to centre boys and romance in their lives. They take two very different approaches to the matter, Lou’s being more β€œpractical” and Tosh’s more β€œtheoretical” β€” at least, according to Lou, which seems to make Tosh bristle. Lou views sex through what we would probably view as a traditionally masculine lens. She talks on and on about her various exploits, while consistently congratulating herself on her personal detachment from the act itself. Tosh, however, has seemingly taken something of a vow of celibacy, though she never says it in so many words. This, the relationship with Lou, is enough for her. It’s all that matters. If only Lou could understand it, too. Occasionally, their former flatmate Fran makes appearances. She’s been coaxed to the dark side, as it were β€” dating a man that Lou and Tosh clearly both view as milquetoast at best. They’re needlessly cruel about Fran, saying awful things about her behind her back, and every time she goes to the toilet. The whole situation feels like a strangely low-stakes powder keg, primed for explosion.

But whatever the story may lack, this production pulls on every bit of substance and brightness that it can. As Tosh, Lyndsey Ruiz is a gorgeous balance of self assuredness and latent rage. She loves Lou desperately and just wants to be loved in return. Hannah Renar’s Lou is a lovely foil. She almost never stands still, as though there’s something inside of her, just aching for release. But she plays her distraction, her mild disinterest in Tosh with skilful subtlety. Eli Rose-Cooper’s Fran, though not leant a terrible amount of complexity in the text, is lovely as well β€” we spend very little time with her, but we see her inner conflict, how much she wants to be part of what Tosh and Lou share, how much she still needs these women in her life. These accomplished performances are complimented by some well-considered music choices, as well as very clever lighting design by Phil Hamilton.

All in all, one leaves the theatre wishing that the topics at hand were better explored. They’re important, relevant, and ones that we rarely see represented with the appropriate complexity on stage or screen. That being said, this version of Scenes with Girls is well worth a watch.



SCENES WITH GIRLS

Golden Goose Theatre

Reviewed on 25th April 2025

by Stacey Cullen

Photography by Herbie Barlow

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING | β˜…β˜…β˜… | January 2025
PAST TENTS | β˜…β˜…β˜… | October 2024
JOCK | β˜…β˜…Β½ | June 2024
STREET SONGS: A BUSKER’S TALE | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | April 2024
WHAT I REALLY THINK OF MY HUSBAND | β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2023
STRANGERS IN BETWEEN | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | September 2023

SCENES WITH GIRLS

SCENES WITH GIRLS

SCENES WITH GIRLS

DEAD MOM PLAY

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Union Theatre

DEAD MOM PLAY

Union Theatre

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β€œThough it could really sing with some further consideration, Ben Blais has certainly shown us something very real”

Theatrical musings about death and grief abound, but one thing has become incredibly clear β€” audiences will always buy into them. Grief, after all, is a universal experience that we long to share, while rarely feeling that we can. And so, theatre provides some small form of catharsis, allowing us to process our own emotions on the subject via proxy. Ben Blais, who serves as both writer and director here, seeks to provide that catharsis through an ambitious blend of sincerity, comedy, and straight-up chaos β€” but it’s clear that the work still needs a bit of polish.

When we meet Charlie (Griffyn Bellah) and his dying mother (Hannah Harquart), it is via a strange, often difficult to follow call-and-response duologue that goes on just a bit too long. We are soon introduced to Death (Joseph Bellis), posing as a newly moved-in neighbour, who wishes to spend some time with Charlie’s mom… presumably to take her away and end her suffering. What follows is a series of vignettes where Charlie finds any possible way to avoid what is happening right before his eyes. He can’t bring himself to face the horrific things that are happening to his mother’s decaying body β€” he describes the sights and the smells in quite visceral detail β€” but he can’t quite let go either. He entreats Death for more time, chases Death off time and again, but also berates Death for allowing her to suffer so much. The internal conflict is gorgeously played out by Bellah and reflects the very real complexity of grief.

But there are spaces here for improvement. A short section of Shakespearean monologue feels a touch like it’s filling space, more than serving a narrative purpose. The lighting design, provided by Jess Brigham, is ethereal and matches the tonal needs of the piece, but the sound hampers the performance at times, causing some lines to be lost in the chaos. A threat of suicide toward the end of the show feels particularly unbalanced, unrooted, and perhaps unearned β€” though it is threatened with a finger gun, it still feels rather jarring, particularly when followed by another character telling the one with a finger gun pointed at their temple to β€œtry harder”. For a show that deals quite sensitively with other matters of death, it doesn’t seem to have interrogated its relationship with suicide or self-harm very well.

With all that said, the storytelling structure, the book-ends that Blais provides are what really show his promise as a writer. Death has a constant refrain for Charlie throughout the piece β€” β€œshow me something real”. Though it could really sing with some further consideration, Ben Blais has certainly shown us something very real.



DEAD MOM PLAY

Union Theatre

Reviewed on 15th April 2025

by Stacey Cullen

Photography by Andrew AB

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

DUDLEY ROAD | β˜…β˜… | January 2025
NOOK | β˜…β˜…Β½ | August 2024
WET FEET | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | June 2024
THE ESSENCE OF AUDREY | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | February 2024
GHOST ON A WIRE | β˜…β˜…β˜… | September 2022

DEAD MOM PLAY

DEAD MOM PLAY

DEAD MOM PLAY