Review – Run Girl Run
Three performers – Clare Phillips, Tom Browne and Laura Hughes – walk along in-sync on treadmills as they drink beers and share stories. They come to police each other’s language for not being “blokey” enough until, by turns, we find them belting it out as fast as they can while yelling hyper-masculine slogans. Then the lights dim, the scene changes, and we find them doing the same treadmill run, although this time in high heels as they pelt towards some grotesque distortion of ur-femininity.
It’s a clever conceit, all the more for its asymmetrical implementation. The performers have found an axis which is equally important to the performance of both contemporary masculinity and femininity – namely, gym exercise – but they don’t fall into the trap of treating it as if it’s all as equivalent. Hyper-femininity, in their production and as in reality, is presented as the tougher mill to grind.
That’s what makes the show interesting. What makes it entertaining is that it’s just hilariously funny, at every level. The script is conversational and witty, the performances are wonderfully comedic, and the premise is delightfully absurd. Not only am I impressed with this show, I’m expectant to see what else this team will deliver.
