Finally, a worthwhile discussion about feminism! In this age of angst about whether men are becoming emasculated and whether boys are struggling to learn because classrooms have been ‘feminised’, an age in which society alternates between ridicule and fascination at the idea of women in relationships with younger men (‘cougars’, as you’ve probably heard), it’s clear that gender politics are still a highly contentious domain. Enter The Court Theatre’s new production, The Female of the Species, a ferociously funny take on men and women from the sharpened pencil of Joanna Murray-Smith. In a domain so often dominated by angry voices (on both sides), it’s incredibly refreshing to be encouraged to laugh about it all.
The Female of the Species opens with a woman we can all recognise (and many aspire to be!) cinched into a black waistcoat and trousers, owning the stage in her red stilettos as she tells her Editor: “F*** off!” Margot Mason (played to perfection by a blonde-bobbed Jude Gibson) is a hugely successful – and equally controversial – feminist writer with a long history of shaping popular opinion. Now she’s caught in the grip of writer’s block, worrying about the possibility that her best work might be behind her. When an unhinged former student turns up at her country home, things quickly spiral from bad to worse. In her Doc Martens and black layers (both literal and figurative), Molly Rivers (Elsie Edgerton-Till) is a darkly bohemian antithesis to Margot’s polished façade. She has a very major and very personal axe to grind and she intends to do so with violence.
A procession of other characters variously damaged by Margot, her books or each other enact the notion of victimhood – played equally well by men or women – and suggest that perhaps we had better be making up our own minds rather than relying on the pronouncements of others. Inspired by a real-life event in which feminist author Germaine Greer was temporarily held hostage – although the playwright insists that Margot is not a portrait of Greer – The Female of the Species hauls sometimes touchy subjects into the open and invites us all to laugh at ourselves. And what is Greer’s view of the play? Well, she dubbed Joanna Murray-Smith an “insane reactionary.” Clearly feminism is a subject that still gets tempers flaring.