Bronwyn Bradley. Photo / Michelle Hyslop
Written in the tumultuous period after Maggie Thatcher's 1979 election, Top Girls jolts us back to when feminism was a serious political force.
The ardour of the early feminists has been swept away by successive waves of girl power but Silo theatre's stylish production proves the play remains relevant and
its status is well deserved.
Caryl Churchill's distinctive post-modern style is brilliantly displayed in the famous dinner party scene where a bizarre assortment of historical and fictional female characters are thrown together in a swanky London restaurant. The overlapping dialogue has learned discourse on ninth century theological conundrums and exquisite fragments of Japanese poetry colliding with earthy peasant humour and anecdotes from an intrepid Victorian adventurer.
The effect is scintillating and the remainder of the play struggles to match the panache of the opening scene.
The lengthy second act presents a rather mundane catalogue of working women seeking new career prospects.
