Written by a counselling psychologist and creative writer, Why Can’t Women Be Like Men? draws upon Grazia Marin’s many years of clinical practice.
Felicity (Amelia Dunn) has invited over her two best friends and her aunt to celebrate her birthday.
The trouble is that just before they arrive, she has a demoralising phone conversation with Michael (who we never meet).
Her now former boyfriend has left her and isn’t about to come back.
Felicity is distraught, although she isn’t ready to spill the beans as her friends ring her doorbell, and tries in vain to put on a happy disposition.
She was brought up in a religious household and is regarded as uptight.
Suddenly, an unexpected message is played aloud to the group.
Photos by Celia Wordsworth
Thereafter, it is only a matter of time before Felicity lets down her guard, as do each of the other women.
Phyllis (Lisa Sharpe) not long ago buried her husband, Doug, but for decades she has been harbouring a secret.
When she got married, Gioia (Piera Dennerstein) made a pact to support her husband, a lawyer with a promising future, at the expense of her own career.
Gioia is a gifted singer, but she has had to put any musical ambitions on hold.
In short, her marriage has seen better days.
And then there is the quirky wild child of the bunch.
Prudence (Veronicka Devlin) always approached things differently and that hasn’t changed since the girls’ school years together.
Now she has gotten herself tangled up in a less than conventional relationship, over which she and the archly conservative Felicity will invariably clash.
What these women have in common is that it appears their lives have very much been shaped by men.
The question is, have they been letting their best selves shine and the answer appears to be a resounding “no”.
Why Can’t Women Be Like Men? airs their truth and with it comes drama, humour and pathos.
A lot is unearthed in the space of an hour, during which the narrative serves up a number of curve balls.
Notwithstanding understandable opening night nerves, the exaggerated slice of life piece finds an appreciative audience.
It deals with disappointment, frustration and anger, as it tackles love, loss, religion, sexuality, pleasure and pain.
Photo by Karin Locke
I commend the diverse characterisations and the way they are played by the four performers.
There is a deliberate stiffness about Amelia Dunn as Felicity and a series of well delivered old world references by Lisa Sharpe as Phyllis.
Piera Dennerstein transitions Gioia nicely from being kept in check to becoming an open book.
Veronicka Devlin has a ball as the experimental and experiential Prue.
Why Can’t Women Be Like Men? showcases a few musical bangers and dishes up a couple of surprises, as Dennerstein breaks out into song … more than once.
While female skewed, I dare say men could learn a thing or two by attending.
Or perhaps we already know what we are like, but don’t want to admit it.
In other words, we would rather blithely sit back and keep on doing what we have been doing.
In any event, Why Can’t Women Be Like Men? makes for a fun night out, which you can be excused for thinking cuts to the quick.
Directed by Olivia Staaf, it is playing at Chapel Off Chapel until 29th September, 2024.
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