Theatre
Girls Like That
Blue Box, M Space, Msida

While the struggles of feminisim over the years have always been to achieve equality and mutual respect from men, the battle is not yet over. There is more awareness and exposure on the constant information stream on the web than ever before, with celebrities from Emma Watson to lawyers like Amal Clooney and politicians like Justin Trudeau taking a firm stance in favour of the real struggle women face, but the road is still rocky and the battle not yet won.

Unfortunately, much like the dire warnings of Margaret Atwood’s novels, women can be their own worst enemies at times because misplaced solidarity can lead to terrible acts of callousness between them. This is what Masquerade’s production of Evan Placey’s play Girls Like That deals with.

Currently running at Blue Box in Msida, the highly physical and choral piece is a tad too long at just over 90 minutes but it is a very cleverly scripted eye-opener.

Placey looks at the way in which a group of girls from an academically-driven prep school interacts as a unit, reinforcing their sense of collegiality, but also establishing the pecking order. Their desire to keep afloat and resist the double standards which girls have to suffer – from ridiculous dress codes to modes of behaviour and ways of expressing their sexuality – leads them to regress into the social structure of the pack, which ultimately degenerates into mob mentality.

Rather like rats, they pick on the weakest in the group and tear them apart the minute they feel that their weakness will compromise the group’s strength. Their target has always been Scarlett, sensitively played by Analise Cassar, who for some reason, seems to have been assigned to the bottom of the group’s social structure. The minute her naked selfie mysteriously makes the rounds at their sixth form, the other girls are the first to insult her with the most misogynistic of names and, interestingly, it is they who emerge as the worst perpetrators of sexism against one of their own.

The road is still rocky and the battle not yet won

Director Polly March had a solid cast of disciplined young women to work with and choreographed this highly physical piece, which relied on voice and movement, very well.

It was inevitable that such a large cast would have actors whose clarity and diction was not always ideal but, thanks to the large number of choral scenes, where the voice of the ensemble rose as one, the weaker elements were buoyed by the stronger ones and allowed for a steady pace and smooth transition from one scene to another.

The chronological intercutting of the different scenes, which saw the girls’ developing relationship as a group of different school years – in flashbacks and towards the end, a flash-forward – was at times a tad erratic, reflecting the girls’ deteriorating core, in spite of an apparently united front. The fact that these were interspersed by four monologues was interesting in spite of creating a sense of detachment at times.

Anthony Bezzina’s lighting design complemented Marsh’s strong concept for this production and helped highlight some stand-out performances. The four monologues present four women over the last century, whose individual strength of character elevated them in a world of men and showed just what positive role models they could be to future generations.

The Flapper (1928), played by Giulia Xuereb, showed an earnest stubbornness to assert herself in a changing world and stood her ground by opposing male permission. Kelly Peplow’s Aviator (1945) held her own with humour and modest courage, doing her job better than most men. Both Xuereb’s determination and Peplow’s nonchalance made their speeches memorable. Less so for Maria Cassar’s Hippie (1968), who was not as convincing in her role as a young woman taking control of her body.

The Lawyer (1985), interpreted by Becky Camilleri, came across as a confident and determined woman aware of her rights and took a stance against sexual harassment in the workplace. It is therefore very sad to see that a new generation – the girls of the 21st century, for whose rights those other strong women had fought for – turn on their own and lead a smear campaign against a friend. True – the play does expose their vulnerabilities and their experiences of everyday sexism at the hands of adults and boys in their year; but why become the perpetrators of their own worst fears? The mean girls, “better her than me”, “she had it coming” attitude mars the bond of sisterhood that these girls should have forged over the years.

Of the ensemble, dance captain Steffie Weenink stood out as a very good character actress, her comments being delivered in a very incisive manner.

The play ultimately discusses why “girls like that” ruin it for everyone – bringing friendship and loyalty into question and sparking a debate about this new breed of young girls who have had it so easy that they forget that the struggle is still real and that they should set aside their phones and their pettiness for further progress to take place.