The Female of the Species Is A Biting Critique of Performative Feminism

The Female of the Species was written in 2006, and while elements of it are a little tarnished with time, it still stands up as a biting and hilarious critique on performative feminism. The proof is the current production at the Old Fitz.

To say Joanna Murray-Smith has a way with words is as gross an understatement as saying Venus Williams is good at hitting tennis balls. Murray-Smith is not only prolific, but she is consistently witty, inventive and thoroughly entertaining.

Directed by Erica Lovell, this energetic reprise of Murray-Smith’s now classic feels fresh and nostalgic at the same time. Margot Mason (Lucy Miller) is a renowned feminist writer, very confident in her own opinion, quite indifferent to the thoughts and feelings of anyone else.

We find her in a summery cottage, sitting at a desk in front of a laptop, thinking out loud. She is being pressured to produce another book, but, having set her bar high with previous ground-breaking best sellers, she is incapacitated by writer’s block.  

Enter Molly Rivers (Jade Fuda), a fawning admirer who somehow discovered Margot’s address and is now gushing shamelessly at her hero. But as the two begin talking about Margot’s books and the influence they have had, we learn that Molly may not be quite the adoring fan she seems. This is confirmed when she pulls out a gun and handcuffs Margot to her desk. 

It seems Margot’s books may have had far too strong an influence — a negative one — on Molly’s mother and Molly herself. Molly threatens to kill Margot, but decides to go to the kitchen for snack first. A parade of characters then start to join the farce, beginning with Margot’s disappointingly domesticated daughter, Tess (Lib Campbell). 

Tess is tired and prickly and seemingly having a nervous breakdown. Her obsequious and clueless husband, Bryan (Doron Chester), soon arrives. The dialogue, plot and gestures become frenetic and outrageous, as the characters arcs get tangled together. Twisting the knob of absurdity, a ripped and handsome cabbie, Frank (Joe Kalou) bursts into the melee, displaying a healthy load of arrogance — and rock-hard pecs under a tight white shirt. 

Theo (Mark Lee), Margot’s agitated agent, completes the ensemble. 

The jokes fly fast and without warning, as do the occasional gunshots into the air. There is a commedia dell’arte feel to the slapstick shenanigans with some sneeky social commentary thrown in. And at the centre of it all is Chekhov’s gun. 

An uninterrupted 90 minute feast of thespian fireworks. 

The Female of the Species

Until November 23

Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo

oldfitztheatre.com.au/the-female-of-the-species