Time is of the essence in this absolutely faultless performance from EntreprenHER Productions. Detailing the endless hurdles women have had to face over time, from the start of the suffragette movement in the early 1900s to present day, Natalie Cutler’s very first one-woman show offers hope for the many that still have to be overcome.
The slick delivery of this production makes it hard to believe that this is Cutler’s first solo attempt at a show.
One of the first scenes depicts a woman named Flora who wishes to serve her country in the First World War, protesting that she can fight on the front just as well as any man. There was simply no better way to commence the show, the incorporation of a militaristic environment set the combative tone found throughout the play in its fight against the subjugation of women.
The rife sexism across each decade following the 1910s was made apparent as Cutler explained the most prominent problems within each of them. From women’s inaccessibility to the labour market to lack of reproductive rights, this performance certainly didn’t shy away from giving it to the audience straight – and rightfully so. Joking that the hem of women’s dresses was getting shorter with each decade reflected the message that this production aims to espouse: that people’s patience should be doing the exact same thing when it comes to gender equality or lack thereof.
The wide range of stage techniques which included “comedy, music, dance and political incorrectness” kept the flare of the piece relentlessly alight throughout. Such diversity mirrored the ever-changing issues that women have to face on a daily basis, and how greatly they differ between the western and eastern world.
The slick delivery of this production makes it hard to believe that this is Cutler’s first solo attempt at a show. Overwhelmingly thankful that I saw its world premiere in Brighton, I have no doubt in her getting this performance booked across the globe. For any men out there fearing a tongue-lashing, fear not, it is a show suitable for both women and men – just ask the man in the audience who cried out for an encore.
