An inspiring, uplifting, hilarious show performed by a phenomenal cast of women!
This new musical, based on the book of the same name by Kate Pankhurst, tells the story of Jade who gets lost on a school trip to a museum and finds herself in the ‘Gallery of Greatness’ where she meets some fantastically great women, including Rosa Parks, Mary Anning, Jane Austen, and Mary Seacole!
This story is so important, reminding everyone in the audience, particularly young girls and women, that they can be fantastic at every age, and change the world for the better by being their extraordinary selves, following their own dreams and their own journey. It was particularly lovely to see young women of colour in the audience seeing themselves reflected in the protagonist Jade, and seeing this amazing cast and band, made up of women and non binary performers of all different ethnicities, body types, and backgrounds, tell the stories of these amazing women – some of whom the audience may know, and some of whom they might not! One of my favourite parts of this show is discovering the stories of women you perhaps haven’t learnt about at school, for example Mary Anning, the archeologist that discovered fossils in Lyme Regis.
This is truly an ensemble show, with each performer supporting each other whilst also getting their moment in the spotlight, demonstrating great multi rolling and use of accents, and interacting brilliantly with each other!
The story is fantastically led by Georgia Grant Anderson playing Jade. She perfectly portrays the excitement, determination, confusion, and emotion of a young girl finding her way and takes us with her on her journey throughout the ‘Gallery of Greatness’ with gorgeous vocals and a really engaging and exciting stage presence!
Elena Breschi is brilliant as Sacagawea, the expert mountaineer and interpreter, incorporating sign language into her performance excellently, and as Marie Curie, the Nobel Prize winning scientist! She is also inspiring and comedic as Frida Kahlo, and her rendition of ‘A World Of Colour’ fills the stage with beautiful choreography and stunning vocals!
Meg Hateley is strong and powerful as Emmeline Pankhurst, the Suffragette, (I loved hearing Emmeline’s Mancunian accent!) and very funny as Agent Fifi (Marie Christine Chilver), the spy recruited by the British government during World War Two to train other agents!
Charlotte Jaconelli is incredibly empowering as Gertrude Ederle, the Olympic swimmer and first woman to swim the channel, and amusing as Jane Austen who interacts with Breschi’s Kahlo fantastically! Her vocals are powerful throughout and she shows incredible physicality and movement, utilising all the props and set to create funny moments as both Ederle and Mary Anning.
Anelisa Lamola brilliantly portrays Amelia Earhart’s determination and sense of adventure, and the dedication and caring nature of Mary Seacole! She is particularly impressive as Rosa Parks, as she tells the story of how she refused to give up her seat on the bus in Alabama in 1955, which helped begin bus boycotts across the country. She highlights the way in which change can come about as the result of a collaborative movement. There is also a particularly poignant scene in which Lamola introduces Anne Frank, beautifully performed by Aaliyah Monk, and demonstrates how women can make change at all ages, be that 42 like Rosa Parks, or 13 like Anne Frank when she began writing her diary.
The show discusses how not every fantastic women’s story has a happy ending, but their legacies and what they stood for continue to this day. For example through The Ninenty-Nines, the women’s flying club set up by Amelia Earhart, the publishing of Anne Frank’s diary, the mountains, rivers and national parks named after Sacagawea, the artwork by Frida Kahlo on display across the world, the element Radium named by Marie Curie, the discovery of which has treated so many people, and the swimming school for deaf childen set up by Gertrude Ederle, amongst so many other brilliant ways these women continue to change the world.
The costumes used are colourful and bright, they light up the stage and ensure the audience is engaged throughout, along with the clever use of props and direction.
The set is well designed, and although it is excellent at The Other Palace, this show would work brilliantly on a slightly larger stage! The use of neon lights and signs to create the ‘Gallery of Greatness’ is exciting and looks amazing!
The production has fantastic, upbeat ensemble numbers and brilliant, sharp, energetic choreography! ‘Where Do You Want To Go?’, ‘Deeds Not Words’, and ‘A World Of Colour’ are especially engaging and fill the stage with storytelling. ‘Rosa’s Lullaby’, sung by Anelisa Lamola, is also a particularly stunning ballad!
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is an inspiring, uplifting show that uses amazing vocals, exciting songs, and excellent choreography to tell the stories of so many different fantastic women! A great show performed by a very talented cast!