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5th October - 13th October
Flower Girls, presented by the disabled-led theatre company Graeae, is a moving, beautifully crafted and tender journey through the life and reminiscences of several women housed in “The Crippleage”; a shelter and workhouse for young, crippled women, often orphans. Rejected by much of society because of their disabilities, a philanthropist gives them the job of manufacturing artificial flowers.
The entire production was signed for the benefit of deaf members of the audience. The interpreters interacted with characters and blended seamlessly into the play. The story is divided into two; one half, with the characters of Sally, Alice and Lily [Sonia Cakebread, Nicole Miles-Wilden and Karina Jones respectively] is set in 1940; the other, set in 1965, with the characters of Mabel, Rose and Joan.
The play is divided into segments, with each one finished by the dimming of the lights and a burst of period music, the method of presentation conveys easily the hardships of the women at the Crippleage. Although presented in a humorous manner, the production accurately articulated the underlying horrors which plagued each of their pasts. Coming together in a truly moving and spectacular finale as the two groups of women gave a toast, Mabel to the memory of Sally, and Sally, all those years ago, to Mabel. The final lines of the play reflected this meeting of sorts; portraying the way their lives were interlinked and, in actual fact, very dependent on each other.
Mabel, the feisty, sharp-witted and arguably most senior of the women steals the show; each line is delivered with a cutting, sometimes even scathing wit. However, toward the end, it is revealed to the audience the true, vulnerable nature of the character; a theme which seems to run throughout the play. Each woman seems, in their own way, sensitive of their disability or previous life in some way. For example, Sally, who hides her withered hand in her pocket, and lies about how she came to be disabled. The same is true for Lily; again, feeling that she would be better liked if she were disabled in an accident, instead of born that way. Alice, although she is not especially mindful of her disability, has her own problems; vulnerable and filled with the naivety of youth, she often finds herself turning to older friends for support, occasionally shunned by the pressing weight of their problems. Joan is the artistic and seemingly very intelligent character, teaching a night course in English; however, she too encounters personal difficulties. And finally Rose; in many ways, particularly in naivety, she is similar to Alice, and constantly looking for her lost love, mentioned by Mabel during a fortune telling.
Overall, the play is extremely touching and thought-provoking; the fairly simple set, forming cubicles which serve as the women’s bedrooms, serves to reinforce just how little, materialistically speaking, these women have. I left in a thoughtful mood, carefully considering all the past sufferings and hardships of the human race. Whether you are looking for a deep, reflective look at the lives of the disabled, or for a simply an uplifting perspective from those who have so little, I would highly recommend Flower Girls.
Nicole Gull and Charlotte Seager
8th October 2007 |