What I liked
This is a wonderfully detailed script showing us the delusions we create for ourselves, especially the pressures of being a woman in contemporary society. We’re not thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, dumb enough, strong enough, vulnerable enough. Maybe if we’re perfect we will be happy. But it’s clear that happiness and self fulfillment cannot be bought and it certainly can’t be pumped into our wrinkles or sucked out from our thighs. This theme of elusive perfection is so well crafted in Ruth Fowler’s script that we simultaneously recognize, revile and relate to Cassie, the woman obsessed with perfecting her body. Maliabeth Johnson is a force on stage as she jitters and jumps around – obsessing over her body and disintegrates into madness before us. There’s also the brilliant metaphor of the box – as she’s boxed in on stage, never able to leave. Above her is another square that she peers into whenever her abusive lover stomps about – there’s no escaping this box she has put herself in. It’s deceptively simple design that really brings the whole piece together.
What I didn't like
This is about the theatre itself – the riser could be better as I had to constantly shift because I could see past the person in front of me. This also means I missed some of the things done on the floor downstage.
My overall impression
Incredibly poignant writing, masterfully acted and executed.
