The Moral Woman, The Hen and Chickens Theatre London Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Ticket was gifted in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.
Warning: Contains graphic content, including violence, discussions of sexual assault and abortion.
The Moral Woman is a dystopian tale, exploring regression in women’s rights as I’ve never seen before on stage. Megan Earl’s play is as fascinating as it is shocking, capturing a snapshot about what ‘could be’, but also what is actually the reality in other parts of the world.
Firstly we meet Janet (Kandy Rohmann), the well meaning receptionist at the Feminam Clinic. We then meet Billie (Emma Wilkinson Wright) who is no stranger to the clinic. Slight side note, but I was over the moon to see Emma on the stage; I saw her one woman show ‘Rika’s Rooms’ a few months ago, a performance I genuinely think about close to daily! It’s Billie who realises that women’s fate is being announced on the television – pregnancies must not be terminated under any circumstance and there will be raids on back street abortion clinics – a safe place for women to make their own decisions relating to their own bodies - with severe consequences.
The Moral Woman centres around Janet and four clinic patients – Billie, Elena (Georgie McGuigan), Phi (Jasmine Rachelle) and Jackie (Laura King). Each woman has a heartbreaking background to their reasons for visiting the clinic, and we soon find that there are some intertwining connections in the waiting room. This is a simple yet clever technique, uniting the women on a backdrop of a regime introduced to ruin lives.
Phi is the second patient we meet, who has reservations about going through with the procedure. What if the foetus – conceived in a threesome gone wrong - that she is carrying went on to change the world? These are very realistic thoughts that could go through the mind of any woman in the same position, showing the painstaking decision which needs to be made. However, on the flip side, Billie is absolutely sure of her decision. She doesn’t want to bring another child into the world, particularly while she is sofa surfing. Both women may have differing experiences but both deserve the same level of healthcare, the healthcare which the powers that be are desperate to eradicate.
The worst possible scenario acts out before our eyes, and we feel the terror of the women who are present. This is where things got interesting to me – was there a mole in the clinic? I genuinely couldn’t 100% tell, which again is a great storytelling tactic. Ambiguity can be good, and a particular shocker in a women focused story!
The acting in The Moral Women was brilliant, capturing the vulnerability and also the strength of the characters. They’re in there making huge life decisions, prompted by traumatic experiences. I’ve already mentioned how fantastic I think Emma Wilkinson Wright is, and she was matched by her fellow cast members. A truly stellar cast, who I really did enjoy watching.
Abortion is a sensitive topic, and The Moral Women completely recognises this. There were some descriptions of the procedure, and also talk of sexual assault. I personally did not find any descriptions too graphic or uncomfortable, however, I didn’t see any trigger warnings displayed in the theatre before the show, but they are online. I could very well have missed these in the theatre, and I recognise that I was fortunate enough to not feel triggered, and this didn’t affect my viewing experience. Perhaps this could be something to think about going forward.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Moral Women and would love to see it performed in a bigger space, allowing more audiences to see what is a brilliantly gripping show. The storyline was rather simple, underpinned by much darker, unthinkable thoughts.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
