Review - The Space

http://london.tab.co.uk/2013/02/21/the-gut-girls/

The Other Girls:
"Polly is funny, Maggie is strong and outspoken. Kate is the baby of the group but has the foulest mouth of them all and Ellen is the women’s rights enthusiast and, much to the confusion of the other girls, the only “lettuce eater” (vegetarianism wasn’t a term the Victorians were overly familiar with)." - The Space

• Important to see how the girls connect with one another as Annie is confessing her thoughts and past in her monologue to 'Ellen', the 'Woman's rights's enthusiast' and also the vegetarian. What are the dynamics of their relationship? Does Annie trust Ellen more than the other girls in order to spill her heart out to her? Knowing these questions will aid me in what reactions to use in reactions to ellen's as if I were really talking to her. For example: 'I was in service, oh, not round here,' - The second part is in reaction to Ellen's reaction.

"In the space of two hours, we witness five exciting characters transformed by society into drab and unhappy creatures whose most exciting prospect is to one day become head maid or a chief nanny in the service of their ‘superiors’.The Gut Girls is an accurate depiction of the subordination of women in Victorian England. However, given the numerous recent high-profile stories in the news concerning violence towards women and girls, I left the production thinking that perhaps The Gut Girls isn’t so far from our reality either. There was a lot to be learned from this near-flawless production, which was touching, thought-provoking but, above all, immensely entertaining."

• Important to understand the journey in which all five girls go through within the play and therefore within their own monologue too, especially that of Annie's. Starting off slightly contained and becoming more and more out of control with emotions, heart ache etc
• Maybe Annie's heart ache is closer to our reality today that first thought?

First Act:

"The first sees the girls in all of their boisterous glory, bantering and drinking and whilst working hard under merciless conditions. Behind the bawdy laughs, however, lie serious depictions of the vast gender inequalities of Victorian England."

"In the first act, the girls give as good as they get but when they lose their jobs and are forced to train for service, the audience watch as the exquisite vivaciousness of the characters is squeezed right out of them and replaced with mop caps and bad tempers."

Second Act:

The devastation of the second half is intensified by the Lady Helena, an aristocratic woman who truly believes she is training the girls for the good of their lives and their souls. In reality, her training serves only to crush what little spirit society had allowed them to keep hold of. The final monologues, given in quick succession, convey utter defeat and submission.