REVIEW: SCENES WITH GIRLS by Miriam Battye at Golden Goose Theatre 22 April – 3 May
‘captures the confusion that comes with navigating sex and dating in your twenties’ ★★★
A chatty, homely, and authentic performance by a lively cast, T. Regina Theatre Company’s SCENES WITH GIRLS tells the story of three 24-year-old women navigating sex, friendship, self-worth, and the anxieties of young adulthood over 22 scenes. The show centred on a tattered brown sofa strewn with Lucozade bottles, popcorn and paperbacks littering the floor. It is a familiar scene, and the cluttered set only adds to the charm. An ode to the complicated yet beautiful minefield that is girlhood. Miriam Battye’s script is brought to life by a dynamic cast.
Director Alex Stroming has created a series of moments that feel genuinely poignant, and this unfiltered messy depiction of femininity is refreshing. At times, the show does feel rushed, and the characters stumble around clichés in a manner that feels more forced than genuine. In a show where authenticity takes the central stage, it’s a shame that the script sometimes resorts to sweeping statements and stereotypes. Nonetheless, it is still a thoughtful and enjoyable script, and some of Battye’s clichés perhaps feel more intentional than lazy, echoing the repetitive, sex-driven conversations that often characterise young people’s conversations.
There is a palpable chemistry between Lou (Hannah Renar) and Tosh (Lyndsey Ruiz), the two actors blending brilliantly together. Renar’s performance is particularly enchanting and tender; her agility between scenes and emotional range forms the beating heart of the production. Ruiz brings a forceful and dynamic energy to the pair, and together they capture the intimacy of female friendship that, strikingly, ‘was never the story, but was just the given’. Much of their conversation revolves around sex, with the two friends holding contrasting views – Tosh has taken a vow of celibacy whilst Lou proudly parades her conquests. Their coarse oversharing of intimate one-night-stand detail may not offer the audience catharsis or any grand revelation, but it delivers something arguably more refreshing: authenticity. Both Reynar and Ruiz deftly capture the confusion that comes with navigating sex and dating in your twenties, as well as the challenge of balancing personal beliefs with empathy towards others’ actions without slipping into judgment. It’s a great insight into how friendships can provide the support that romantic relationships simply cannot.
Fran (Elinor Sumption), Lou’s former flatmate, disturbs their chaotic harmony, serving as a symbol of monogamous monotony. Ridiculed, ignored, and judged by Lou and Tosh, Fran, despite her insipidity, invites the audience’s sympathy. Sumption delivers a wonderfully needy and irritating performance, portraying Fran as fierce in her dullness. Although her relationship with the bland ‘Trevor’ is easy to condemn, it is unfortunate that her character is so undeveloped and reduced to a cut-out of the ‘nice friend’. When Lou is at her lowest, it is Fran who clears up around her, only to be pushed to the side when Tosh returns. In a show about girlhood and the strength of this bond, it is a shame that this reunion, however happy and rewarding between Tosh and Lou, excludes someone who came to Lou during her moment of need. Sure, it’s a beautiful and poignant scene, but the carelessness shown by the girls towards Fran as nothing more than a disposable friend leaves a bitter taste that doesn’t sit well with the overall female-focused message of the play.
Raynar and Ruiz are to be commended for their chemistry and emotional performances, particularly in the tender scenes in the green bathroom. Director Alex Stroming plays around wonderfully with movement, and the scene changes – executed with brilliant, swift lighting by Phil Hamilton – are snappy and well-orchestrated. As Lola Young’s Messy plays, these two young women expose their souls vulnerably to each other and to the audience – not only in their relationships with their bodies and sex but also in their deeper struggles with individuality and what they truly mean to each other. Ultimately, SCENES WITH GIRLS is a romance: an ode to the chaos of our early twenties and a beautiful homage to messy, unfiltered female friendship.
T. Regina Theatre Company’s Scenes with Girls by Miriam Battye at The Golden Goose Theatre, Camberwell, 22 April – 3 May
