Shakespeare may have had his seven ages of man but Holly Morgan presents the seven ages of (wo)man in
This is a witty, intelligent whistle stop tour of what it means to be a woman, deftly performed with assurance and charm.
Morgan pins a diva on each age of womanhood – matching Shakespeare stage for stage – from childhood represented by the Virgin Mary to Shirley Bassey as the older woman. Accompanied by her very own Shakespeare-in-a-box (a man dressed as the playwright surrounded by cardboard), the divas are impersonated through song with stand up comedy splashed in between a war cry on reclaiming the word ‘bitch’ to the beat of Do You Hear the People Sing? or at other times through amusing anecdotes describing what it really feels to hit womanhood.
The impressions are generally clear likenesses to the divas. The Stevie Nicks rendition of Sara stands out as Morgan maintains a vocal similarity to Nicks with perfect pitch as well as creating a poignant pause in the show – certainly proving that comedy is best done when it is undercut with a few serious notes. Her mannerisms while performing are often easily identifiable and always fun to watch.
The humour is relatable whether talking about her own childhood, or performing ‘bits’ including a modern Heathcliff meeting a girlfriend’s family. Each stage of womanhood is filled with jokes and gags that range from the erudite to the dirty, to the just plain ridiculous but always maintaining a positive regard to feminism and the power of women in our world today.
Unfortunately, the segues are a little clumsy at times as, while Morgan changes her outfit and places yet another wig on, her Shakespeare-in-a-box fills the pause with grumbling that is not always clear. The self awareness of this is kept in the comedy and can be charming but eventually becomes a little repetitive. Moreover, while most of the impressions are hilariously like the real people, a few become a little too exaggerated and thus removed from the characters.
This is a witty, intelligent whistle stop tour of what it means to be a woman, deftly performed with assurance and charm. Morgan brings the glamour and power of some of culture’s most iconic women (and men, at one point) with just a few wigs and her wonderful impressions.
