Six Chick Flicks, Leicester Square Theatre Review
Reviewed by Penny for Theatre and Tonic.
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Following successful runs at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe and Off Broadway, Six Chick Flicks has arrived at London’s Leicester Square Theatre ahead of a tour. Written and performed by KK Apple and Kerry Ipema, Six Chick Flicks parodies some of the best loved films in the genre through a combination of song, dance and very witty takes on the originals. Between them the two actors, who also direct alongside TJ Dawe, play all of the characters in a fast-paced romp through six (actually, nine!) romantic romps!
You don’t have to be a chick flick connoisseur to enjoy the show, although some knowledge of the films under scrutiny does help.
The two performers have fantastic energy and chemistry, easily convincing in all the many characters they portray, and making the films’ stars instantly recognisable through their facial expressions and delivery. Ipema impresses as Kate Winslet’s Titanic socialite, Reese Witherspoon’s unlikely legal eagle and Patrick Swayze’s brooding dance instructor. Apple is equally impressive, taking on a lot of the male love interest characters, a “brunette nemesis” or two, before giving us a brilliant “Baby”, pouting her way out of that corner in style!
Although it’s clear that they have a real affection for the chick flick genre, Ipema and Apple don’t shy away from tackling the films’ more dubious plot points and controversial moments, whether that’s questioning whether there REALLY was no room on that huge, huge door for Jack to join Rose and escape freezing to death in the icy Atlantic, or addressing the issue that when the films were set, and perhaps in some cases when they were made, when a woman says “no” of course she means “yes”. The fact that these films were directed by men is also covered, poking fun at the “Rose Effect”, in which a female character can only be validated as we look at her through the male gaze. And they point out that chick flicks really have a very limited understanding of a woman’s actual lived experience, or the female orgasm!
Iconic moments are picked apart. Possibly the most famous scene in Pretty Woman, where Julia Roberts’ Vivienne is treated badly by a sales assistant on Rodeo Drive, is completely flipped on its head. Should we really be berating another woman who is maybe struggling to make ends meet and can’t afford healthcare just because she made a “Big mistake, big, huge …” Suddenly it didn’t seem quite so funny and a bit more mean girl than girl power! It was good to have these reflections in between the laughs.
A key part of any chick flick is the “meet cute”, the plot device by which two key protaganists meet for the first time. Audience members were invited to write their own “meet cutes” down during the interval, but I felt there could have been less time spent on reading them out to pad out the second act, as they were all pretty similar. Although taking audience requests for some more chick flicks outside the chosen six to be covered spontaneously was a fun idea, it didn’t really add much to the show as the themes are all fairly similar and it would have been entertaining enough if they’d just picked one rather than improvising three additional films.
Dirty Dancing was a very strong finish to the show, as it gave the actors an opportunity to inject a bit of serious comment into the piece, comparing the film’s dubious sub-plot about back-street abortions to current legislation in the US that has taken a woman’s right to choose right back to the 60s. And of course, their portrayals of the iconic Johnny and Baby brought the house down. The finale choreography was a joyous celebration of perhaps the ultimate chick flick and a showcase for the performers’ talents.
So, you don’t have to love chick flicks to find Six Chick Flicks a thoroughly entertaining evening. There are plenty of Easter Eggs for people who’ve watched the films 100 times, but even if you’re going in cold, the characterisation, wit and energy in this show will have you going home with a need to dig out that Beaches DVD and indulge in a happy cry. And as to whether they did “that” Dirty Dancing lift? Book a ticket and find out!
Six Chick Flicks is at Leicester Square Theatre until 13th April, ahead of a tour of England and Wales that runs until the end of June, when it returns for another week at Leicester Square. Find out more here.
★ ★ ★ ★
