SANDRA TSING LOH’S MADWOMEN OF THE WEST BRINGS ITS STAR-STUDDED CAST TO RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

By Rachel Cameron-Potter | Stuff Rachel Says ⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

In San Francisco’s sunny East Bay, Marilyn (Caroline Aaron) and Jules (Brooke Adams) are throwing a surprise birthday brunch for long-time friend Claudia (Marilu Henner), who hates birthdays. When their long-estranged celebrity friend Zoey (Melanie Mayron) unexpectedly rocks up, what starts out as a light-hearted get-together quickly descends into chaos.

Set in Jules’s flash Brentwood mansion, the performance takes place in a single, sparsely decorated space. At least, that’s what the audience sees on stage: 3 sofas, a coffee table and a pinata suspended above the stage. We’re encouraged to imagine tacky decorations and a selection of sublime cakes, as the actresses break the fourth wall to interact with the audience, with remarks on a lack of budget and an incompetent production team getting chuckles from the audience. This is all part of my favourite gag, however: while Marilyn’s requests for music and blackouts are ignored, Zoey has no trouble finding a champagne cart with real chocolate, or changing the lighting at the flick of her wrist.

Details like this highlight the disparities between the friends. Fiery Marilyn is reminiscent of Joanna Lumley’s character in Ab Fab, trying to light cigarettes on stage in an attempt to quell the cravings induced by her latest sugar cleanse. Zoey, on the other hand, is a mirage of perfection, with a successful career, a wealthy husband, and a luxury home across the pond in Notting Hill. Jules is the glue that holds the group together, while Claudia seems ready to bolt at any given moment.

You’d expect these disparities to be the main source of tension, but if anything these differences make their lifelong friendship all the more endearing. The chemistry between the characters on stage is electric, and it was heart-warming to watch displays of affection between these women on stage, with group hugs and tender touches taking place throughout the show.

If anything, the problems lie in their personal lives. Marilyn shot her husband in the leg and is on the brink of losing her job. Jules is a former lawyer with a soon-to-be ex husband and a drinking problem. Claudia is in the midst of navigating her non-binary child’s transition. Even perfect Zoey is coming to terms with the loss of her fortune following her husband’s poor investment choices.

As endearing as this was to watch, the pace of the performance did seem to slow down significantly in the second act. Just before the interval, Claudia storms out and Marilyn exits to smoke a cigarette off-stage, but the tension seems to have dissolved by the start of Act 2. What follows is a lengthy dialogue between the four characters, interspersed with a few moments of action and a rather raunchy description of how Zoey demonstrates self-love. These discussions offer insight into the problems faced by women of the baby boomer generation, but almost like a sitcom, these complex issues are neatly wrapped up and resolved in the final 15 minutes of the show – most notably, Claudia’s conflict with her child.

Claudia arrives at her birthday brunch depressed following an argument over a plastic straw, where she snaps at her child and states she feels like she can’t do anything right. The conversations that follow offer insight into this generation’s perspectives around gender identity, but the resolution to this conflict seems oversimplified and a little too easy. Claudia leaves her child a voicemail, first claiming to go by he/him pronouns and be rid of the scrutiny that comes with being a mother, before settling on “I’m your monster.” It can be argued that this is a mother’s naïve attempt to meet her child in the middle, yet at its core comes across as self-indulgent, focusing more on how Claudia feels rather than taking into account the weight of her child’s transition.

The performance has potential, but in trying to cover so much ground, aspects of the script came across as underdeveloped, and the ending felt rushed. Nonetheless, Madwomen of the West does well to shine a light on the problems faced by women of a different generation, and goes to show that no matter where you are in life, a boozy brunch with the girls can fix everything.

Madwomen of the West is showing at Riverside Studios until 24 August.

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Photo Credit: Ryan Howard