TOP GIRLS The State Theatre Company of South Australia Dunstan Playhouse Until 08 Sep 2012 Review by Jamie Wright “Top Girls”, by Caryl Churchill, is a complex, multi-layered analysis of the different and changing roles of women in England in the early 1980s. Director Catherine Fitzgerald has gone for strong delineation of style between the different scenes, which creates a somewhat disconnected feel throughout. But it's well-paced and engrossing nonetheless; the first act is an hour and three quarters but doesn't feel anywhere close to that – the opening scene in particular is captivating. Performances are strong throughout, with all but one performer portraying multiple characters well; standouts are Eileen Darley as Isabella Bird/Joyce/Mrs Kidd and Antje Guenther, who is both the gentle, Latin-speaking Pope Joan and the at-first innocent, unsophisticated Angie and the later coarser, more headstrong one. Ulli Birvé, who plays Marlene, is also strong – no mean feat given she is the one constant through the different ‘realities’ featured. Mary Moore's impressive, minimal set (with glass ceiling appearing cracked in some scenes and whole in others) makes great use of the space and includes a trapdoor (to Hell) and a lowering mechanism for Pope Joan. Mark Pennington’s excellent lighting adds significant impact as well. But in the later scenes there are projected background images which are somewhat unnecessary, even distracting. The costumes are exceptional, particularly for the characters in the opening scene, using vivid colours and providing a touch of unreality to add to the fantasy feel of the dream sequence. There are some problems with the characters’ accents; some just don’t sound right, and there are times when they seem to fade in and out – and then there's the confusion stemming from why people from the same family and the same region sound like they're from completely different parts of England. The different feminist themes are both obvious and subtle, developing throughout. It’s certainly not an easy play to watch; the characters are difficult to connect with and the structure makes for some confusion, particularly between the fantastic dream-sequence first act and the naturalistic second act, where it might initially seem like two completely unconnected stories. And the non-linear progression of the subsequent acts adds to the complexity, as do the references to people and places, some of which may be lost on contemporary Australian audiences. Yes, it feels little dated and over-the-top, but the society to which it’s now playing can still be asked some of the same questions the audiences of 1982 were asked – what can women achieve in today’s society, what should they sacrifice (if anything) to achieve it, and should they all want the same things?