“It’s a woman’s world!” declares Hollywood studio owner Bill Meyer (Oli Silverman) angrily in a confrontation with experienced leading lady Mary Costa (Olivia Hollreiser) after she tells him she is setting up her own studio in the climax of the play. Written by Anouk Saint, this play depicts the story of three women in the film industry managed by the same Hollywood producer. Including Mary Costa, an experienced leading lady with many films as the lead under her belt, the fifteen-year-old Adrianna Caselotti (Sophia Pettit), a child star struggles with addiction, and aspiring dancer Helene Stanley (Lara Lisozzi-Lenik), the play explodes misogynistic stereotypes surrounding women in the film industry.
The play celebrates the radical women who refused to fit the stereotypes surrounding women in 1950s Hollywood; the story is based on real women who challenged the sexist nature of the film industry. I thought that it was expertly written, impressive for a student production and one of the best I’ve seen. It reminded me a lot of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid; if you liked that book, this is the perfect hybrid as it brings the story of women in Hollywood to life. What really impressed me was the interdisciplinary nature of this production; merging original sound in the style of the period (like the original song ‘It’s a Woman’s World’) with a photographic set (with incredible photos from Fiona Winning) and art, dance and live singing featuring in the production, the cast had a very impressive skillset. In particular, the three leading ladies (Sophia Pettit, Lara Lisozzi-Lenik and Olivia Hollreiser) were multi-talented; both Olivia and Sophia sang, and Lara, whose character was a dancer, showcased this skill with expertise. I also liked the portrayal of the press, and thought Tiare Hamilton portrayed female journalist Susie Cee very well.
You can tell Anouk is an English student. I loved the symbolism in the play, from Adrianna’s red bows, a symbol of her child-like nature and naivety, eventually being traded for Mary’s red boots – a fierce symbol of the independence we hope she will gain as the audience, to Helene’s wearing of trousers, a symbol that she won’t be taken advantage of in the often misogynistic atmosphere. I also liked the use of well-designed props, something that student productions often overlook. I appreciated the fact that the menu had writing inside of it, for example, and I thought the costumes very well designed. The only criticism I have is that the set changes were sometimes a bit clunky, and this took away from the richness of the rest of the production. But, as I saw the first performance, perhaps this was a case of lack of practice. I also wish we had more time to flesh out the storylines of these interesting women – it was ambitious for an hour long production, but I understand that this is going to the Edinburgh Fringe and so is constrained to an hour.
Overall, I really enjoyed this production which felt like a breath of fresh air from a talented team – I am sure it will do very well at Fringe!