A bugle call of biting British wit
What would you do if you received a government letter telling you to enlist? Would you valiantly answer the call for King and country? Or would you descend into petty squabbles and cruel clapbacks to save your skin?
When three young women in a flat share receive a letter informing them to nominate a poor soul to fight in an unnamed war, personalities clash with bitterness, desperation and sass. Construction admin worker George (played mercilessly feisty by Sophie Wolsencroft) is the first to be offered up to go by penniless artist Felicity (played convincingly droll by Eleanor Jones) and finance worker Mads (played quietly perspicacious by Lana Lei). Farcical enmity ensues.
Through satire, 4th wall breaking and thoughtful soul searching, we follow the trio as they subsequently take it in turns to justify why they should avoid going to war, and what they bring to society. A short scene involving two hilarious Northern older ladies outside the conscription office adds another element of the kinds of people involved in the conflict and a different perspective for our younger protagonists to ponder. As the friends realise, perhaps in a shared sense of nihilism, that war is inevitable as much as their utility bills, they eventually decide who must go.
An interesting device I wanted to see further developed is the use of a spectral singer dressed in WW2 military uniform (played beautifully by Halli Pattison) as she interjects narration throughout proceedings with modern lyrics to famous Vera Lynn songs. Her character feels both within and without; I’d like to see her explored more, perhaps alongside other types of military narrator figures.
Working Girls Theatre has produced here some of the freshest, most relatable writing in ages. There is so much potential in Jaymee-Leigh Thackray’s script; it was bursting with excellent comic timing, intelligent ruminations between friends who become temporary rivals, and a sense of absurd realism.
The show’s true strength, though, lies in its relevance. In a current geopolitical climate where anything seems unsettlingly possible, Girls Who War asks questions we may genuinely have to ask ourselves in the not too distant future. It speaks to a world where households must consider what would they sacrifice and who would even be willing to do it. I can honestly imagine the pithy bickering on sofas across the country, debating the merits of someone’s humanities degree versus someone else’s medic degree. Someone says they were an essential worker during lockdown versus someone who says they’re a singer who can entertain troops on TikTok- can you even WFH the war effort?
Girls Who War is an original and timely tragicomedy about the very real questions modern citizens, particularly women, would ask of ourselves about how we view our country and the patriotism we would invoke (or not) if the time ever came to personally defend our freedoms. There is a discussion to be had about utilising gender parity in enlistment quotas- should it be only men in a modern, feminist society?
It is a witty and irreverent manifestation of a modern friendship group easily replicated across the nation. I fully believed in each character and I actually wanted them all to sign up in the end in a role that made the most sense to them whether combat, medic, logistics, journalist or any number of roles currently being undertaken by women all over the world including Ukraine, Palestine and beyond.
This show, a microcosm full of heart and humour, successfully uses satire to make astute observations about people’s roles in modern warfare and the completely mundane and absurd ways it would invade our personal lives before it would invade our soil.