Girls Who War | Lion and Unicorn Theatre

What would you do if a letter arrived sending you off to war? Working Girls Theatre’s Girls Who War explores that very scenario, in a comic but thought-provoking play about the national draft featuring three bickering flatmates and a singing narrator.

As only one member of each household has to face the draft, unemployed artist Felicity (Eleanor Jones), uninspired office worker Mads (Lana Lei) and unloved construction site worker George (Sophie Wolsencroft) must decide who will go. This decision takes the form of a series of monologues which are, in the characters’ own words, sometimes reminiscent of GCSE Drama in a court presided over by Vera (Halli Pattison), the aforementioned singing narrator who wanders into their living room mid-scene to perform humorous covers of popular wartime songs.

The ingenuity of these songs, composed and arranged by Annie Napier and performed in Pattison’s stunning voice, is one of the highlights of the show, and helps to get some of the more prescient political satire across without overly relying on exposition. This allows the scenes between the flatmates to feel natural, with all the usual house drama of unpaid bills and corner shop orders blending easily with the undercurrent of the more serious plot.

Jade Dharma Roberts directs the performers fluidly, and makes good use of the space, while Jaymee-Leigh Thackray’s script is witty but also unafraid to challenge. The performers play off one another well, capturing the dynamics of long-held friendships, with Jones’s hapless but loveable Felicity a highlight. 

The plot unravels a little in the second half, with a significant plot twist feeling somewhat unbelievable – although perhaps suspension of disbelief should be the name of the game here, given that the appearance of a speechless Vera Lynn lookalike is often debated but never explained. The ending also could use some tightening, as a lot of back and forths in the closing minutes leave the action a little jumbled. However, the concept is clever and the execution largely good, so with a little reworking and a slightly longer runtime this play could truly shine. 

For a witty wartime satire which will give you plenty to think about and even more to laugh at, look no further than Girls Who War.

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review