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| Edinburgh : A&E : Theatre: Reviews |
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Theatre listings > Factory Girls
- Tour . All the big political, social and economic changes wrought by the most powerful in society are felt by the little people. Just look at the MPs and newspapers that shamefully make capital out of stirring up irrational racist fears about Britain being "swamped" by asylum seekers. And let us not forget the plethora of aptly named "fat cat" bosses who walk away with fantastical pay-offs despite having run a company into the ground, resulting in redundancies for those least able to cope with a loss of income. Wouldn't it be great if the little guys stood up tall together as a united bastion of proletariat power able to hold out against the relentlessly inventive capitalist siege? Well, that is exactly what the five female characters in Irish playwright Frank McGuinness' Factory Girls decide to do when their boss calls for redundancies, increased productivity and less pay. Set in a 1970s Donegal shirt factory, the main strength of this show is the fact that these "girls" are down-to-earth folk with just as many problems as you or I. There is no Guevara, Marx or indeed Joan of Arc to speak of - just real women, with an equal measure of highly-visible flaws and endearing qualities. Ellen, Patricia Ross, is the dominant personality and self-appointed spokeswoman. We've all met her before in any office - and saw that her bombastic arrogance is borne of a personal tragedy or deep-seated insecurity which eventually must be confronted. You really feel you know these ladies by the end of the show. Sensible Rebecca, Helen Lomax, is the proverbial worm that turns to expose her hidden depths. Troubled Vera, Fletcher, has a violent husband and wears her heart on her sleeve, while callow Rosemary, Sally Reid, gets a fast-track education in the harsh realities of the workplace and the adult female mind. Old Una, Kay Gallie, a barbed tongued pacifist, is the type of person needed in tense times, always able to diffuse animosity with a tall tale or tomfoolery. This play is a decent demonstration of the inability of workers' movements
to modify change. But it's a first-class evocation of five ordinary working
class lives in extraordinary times. Theatre listings >
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