The Perfect Woman transports you into a Hunger Games inspired world; into a society that puts women on a pedestal.
Exploring traditional views of women, the play questions what it means to be a perfect woman and asks the audience to reflect on if they are still holding onto traditional values.
This challenge and realisation whilst powerful due to strong acting and contrasting characters of the games host and contestants, could have been aided by a more carefully considered script that did not feel it was purely made from witty one liners.
However, these one liners did provoke a response from the audience, both of humour and shock, highlighting how the company tackled current and controversial issues that made the audience think.
The world they created could have been held better through using music that was not relevant to today’s society and the contestant’s costumes being more extravagant to match the host who certainly fit the utopian world.
The concept of a games show was a strong decision for the message the play was delivering and helped to engage the audience and make it relevant to them.
To help this the theme of friendship was also introduced, although seeing more of it would have made the contestants easier to sympathise with.
The fourth wall breaks used to do this were successful and effective although more could have helped to see behind the media front, particularly the host’s point of view which was intriguing.
This little touch could have added a greater depth to already strong characters although this may have taken away a comedic element which did make the show very amusing.
The stage manager of both the show and play being present before the show began was a nice touch for it helped build appreciation for theatricalities as a whole and not just the acting.
Additionally, it helped you as an audience member to feel as though you were going to watch a live television show as opposed to theatre play.
Overall, a funny, witty and uncharacteristically theatrical show.
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Reviewer: Becky Rose | Rating: **** Four Stars
